Wine for Wondering Why

Why, France? Why must you do this to me? I have always defended you from the many people who insist that you are snobby, rude and lacking in deodorant. I have always loved you, have always thought that Paris is the most beautiful city in the world, I swoon over Rodin and Camille Claudel, think that the French language is music to my ears, and believe that nothing in the world can be wrong with a people who believe that a good breakfast is a hunk of break dunked in a bowl of hot chocolate, and who introduced me to Nutella, French Macaroons and the Croque Monsieur.

Why then, must you have so many wine regions with so many different vineyards and wine producers? Why must you have so many different appellations (classifications), that are different in every single region so that you essentially have to treat each region within France as if it is a different country from any other region in France? Why must you have names like Reuilly and Rully which are, in fact, completely different regions and wines, as are Pouilly Fume and Pouilly Fuisse? Why, damn you, why? How on earth is anyone supposed to keep track of it all?

Today we tasted seven different Burgundy wines. All of these wines were made from Pinot Noir except for one which was a Pinot Noir/Gamay blend. My favorite of the seven wines was a Nuits St. Georges Clos de L'Arlot 2006. It is a beautiful garnet color and has a lovely mellow nose of red cherry, wood-smoke, tobacco and smoldering leaf-pile, with flavors of the same. It has a medium body, and a nice long finish. All I could think about was drinking it with a Croque Monsieur or a bowl of beans and sausage. Just thinking about that almost made me forgive France. Almost...