The [link2post id=”321″]2005 example of this wine[/link2post] was quite a charming little drink so I felt quite safe buying some of the 2006. My first taste of it repels me and my fellow drinkers to such an extent that I don’t think we can finish it.
When a producer of such renown as Chandon de Briailles makes such a repulsive wine from such a good vineyard you’ve got to wonder what weird and twisted ideas are going through the winemaker’s diseased mind. Perhaps he needs some corrective therapy with the aid of a hammer*.
[image image_id=”3520″ size=”medium” align=”left”]Pernand-Vergelesses Premier Cru Ile des Vergelesses 2006, Domaine Chandon de Briailles
The only redeeming feature of this frighteningly atrocious nose is some fresh strawberry fruit. This, alas, is overwhelmed by an unripe greenness which is so strong it is actively vile; no Pinot, not even that used for fizzy wines, should smell such an inter-stellar distance away from ripeness. If these aromas are bad, and they are quite impressively horrible, they are eclipsed in their repulsive character by a worrying set of chemical aromas which, unlike the [link2post id=”3267″]white Crozes the other day[/link2post], are not pleasantly reminiscent of glue. Rather they are unpleasantly reminiscent of a mixture of creosote and vinegar. This is mind-warpingly horrible and I feel worried about when it comes to putting some of this evil filth in my mouth. Ah well, here goes… At least the vomit-inducingly horrible chemical flavours don’t show, but neither does any fruit nor indeed any other flavours which could be described as even vaguely palatable. It tastes thin, bitter and acrid with nastily spiky acidity, harsh, rough tannins and a stupendously repellant greenness which makes me think the grapes from which this was made were not only picked before they had even begun to turn red but also squeezed until the pips squeaked. Thankfully it is very short and so these noxious, repugnant characters die even faster than me walking to the sink to pour this wine down the drain. I don’t think this is a faulty bottle, it is just a shamefully bad wine. Sadly I have another bottle left which I feel is a candidate for laying down and avoiding; perhaps in many years time something positive may happen to it.
*Please do not hit the winemaker with a hammer. That is my job.
