Tuesday, April 19, 2011

2006 Mischief & Mayhem Pinot Noir Bourgogne

My friend Monica raves about this wine. She stole a comparison I make between elegant, classy, sexy wines and actress Grace Kelly. Besides using my awesome comparison excessively, she swears up and down this wine is a Grace Kelly wine. Love ya Monica!!

I was thirsty this evening, as often happens when I feel that writing is in order. Leaving my recent bout of writer's block behind along with my nasty bleeding ulcer and gastritis, I decided to open a red wine and just say "to hell with how I feel later, I want a glass!"

First let's talk a wee bit about the Mischief and Mayhem. They're a negotiant based in Burgundy and make a bunch of different wines from many sub-appellations in the region. This is their entry-level Burgundy, made with grapes sourced from the entire region. Monica bought some from a retailer on the East Coast and was kind enough to give me a bottle. For more information on the Mischief and Mayhem 2006 Bourgogne, click this link.




2006 Mischief and Mayhem Bourgogne Pinot Noir

I love the color, it's something I think anyone will notice right away. Palest ruby, clear to the point of looking like a dark rosé. Under the light, the color grabs your eyes and refuses to let go. My imagination conjured up words like: "elegant, delicate, nuanced, classical", and "yay" to describe what I saw.

Sticking your nose in the glass reveals this is no California pinot noir, syrah-added or otherwise! Bright acidity jumps out in the form of a fresh sour cherry aroma. From there, baking spices and a hint of rhubarb even. Whenever I smell a Burgundy, without fail I detect a beautiful earth component. Some may call it minerality, for me that aroma is evocative of damp, freshly turned dark brown soil.

Finally after the hemming and hawing over the color and aromatics, I get to taste the 2006 Mischief and Mayhem Bourgogne. Right away, lots of acidity that is very well integrated with red berry flavors, a ghostly hint of oak and beautiful spice elements. There are some silky smooth tannins present, manifesting all around the sides of my mouth. Like the acidity, they fit well, enhancing the mouthfeel of the wine rather than distracting me from other flavors.  One of the few knocks on the wine was the all-too-quick finish, I was hoping and expecting something longer, more drawn out considering the wine's origins. Not a huge knock, but obviously I noticed this enough to feel like I had to comment on it.

Ok I admit, it's hard not to like this wine. The fine people at Mischief and Mayhem did a great job in a solid vintage, producing a delicious pinot noir. For those who aren't familiar with Burgundy and the style of pinot noir produced there, this is a nice, inexpensive introduction. At about $25 the 2006 Mischief and Mayhem certainly won't break the bank, yet it has quality written all over the bottle. Well not really, more metaphorically I mean. I easily give this wine a B+ and a STRONG BUY recommendation. A note of caution, I'd use Wine-Searcher.com to find any of the Mischief and Mayhem wines, as they don't seem to make it to the West Coast in any quantity.

Beau Carufel

2 comments:

  1. First of all thank you for the kind mention and an even bigger thank you for your enthusiasm and passion for the wines of Burgundy...that is what was contagious and got me to explore them more. Ever since I was younger I also knew my mom was a fan too.

    Your review is spot on for this wine. You did a beautiful job writing about it. I agree with you; for the price this is a great wine to get the wine enthusiast aquatinted with the style of red Burgundies without breaking the bank.

    I am absolutely thrilled that you enjoyed this wine. I respect and value your opinions on wine and can say that I have learned a tremendous amount from you so knowing that you enjoyed something that I liked/picked out was very flattering. Thank you again my friend for writing yet another great piece!

    ~M

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  2. Thanks for the kind words Monica, I'm glad you found this wine and shared it with me :)

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