Community Tasting Note

Friday, September 2, 2022 - This comes a good six days after drinking the wine so take it with a grain of salt. I've been semi-haunted by it and it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote something. Color was on the pale side. Effusive nose of what I think Michael Broadbent used to refer to as "beetroot" pinot fruit. Pure and sweet fruit mingled with developing sous bois on the palate. A cool impression in the mouth, with evident acidity that gave it almost a sweet/sour interplay of flavors.

It was not recognizable as Pommard to me, too light and gentle, but it had a certain ineffable appeal, fresh and with a mountain stream quality. Presumably the magic of the '05 vintage at work here too.

I had to search my notes to find the only other Pacalet wine I've had, which turned out to be an '05 Gevrey 1er Cru I tasted 7 years ago. Interestingly, I was equally confused back then by the distinctive style, but at that time I didn't enjoy it. For my taste, there's a "signature" in these wines. It may or may not be from the winemaker's influence or from "nature" itself, but it seems to come at the cost of terroir, even when the wine conveys a restrained, cool appeal as this did.

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Comment posted by KillerJones:

9/2/2022 2:44:00 PM - Awesome review. Actually had to read the last line several times, but I get this conflict. Wines like this do mess with our heads sometimes and, like you say, haunt us.

“Ineffable appeal” - love this, btw.
Comment posted by bevetroppo:

9/2/2022 2:53:00 PM - Thanks KJ. The statute of limitation had pretty much run out when I wrote this so it could be helpful to read the note from 2015 if you want any clarity, which as you know is not generally my strong suit.
Comment posted by JohnMcIlwain:

9/5/2022 11:15:00 PM - Pacalet tastes like Pacalet
For terroir best to look elsewhere. Great hair, tho.
Comment posted by bevetroppo:

9/7/2022 5:57:00 AM - LOL John. Thanks for synthesizing my Pacalet rambling into a pocket-sized sound bite. I wouldn't call it by its appellation though. Maybe a Pacalet Pommard Joint?
Comment posted by Putnam Weekley:

3/23/2023 5:41:00 PM - Pinot Fin
infusion > extraction
I do miss that bottle