02 Maison Champy, Bourgogne Pinot Noir Signature

A friend once told me that when he lived in France, he could go to any grocery store he wanted to and find a perfect old Bourgogne to drink with his meal. I thought he meant Burgundy in general--like picking up some great 90 Pommard. But he meant “basic” Bourgogne, the declassified stuff you drink while you wait for your Pommards to age. I laughed in his face. So hard, I still remember what my spit looked like on his nose. But today, drinking this elegant Champy Bourgogne, I think I've seen the error of my ways. Light, oddly tannic, and alive, the flavors are simple--bright sour cherry and peppery red plum--but the ethereal aroma, much like a truffley 2001 Barolo, is precisely why people pay hundreds of dollars for stuff like this. Of course you would age it--not that it will get any better, but how could you ever let this go?