Fantastic Mr. Fox '23 - Pinot Noir (FR)

Named for a fox with a wild streak and a taste for the good life, this Pinot Noir comes from a single plot in Corbières, in the south of France, where Mathilde Broto grows the grape her own way, farmed conventionally but picked with real care. Wild berries are handpicked at their ripest, then vinified in stainless steel to keep their pure fruit character, before the wine settles into seasoned French oak barrels for ten months. That older oak, already through its second or third life, adds quiet complexity without ever taking over. What comes out is a beautifully rounded 2023 vintage, pine and a soft smoky undertone threaded through vibrant fruit, bright acidity balanced by gentle oak, all folded into a wine that is full, harmonious and made for the next three to five years. At 13.5 percent alcohol, it is the kind of Pinot Noir that rewards a bit of patience and then keeps giving.

This one wants dishes with a bit of weight to them. Try it with grilled salmon, chicken in a mushroom sauce, or a mushroom risotto or grilled portobellos. It stands up just as well to pork chops, coq au vin or boeuf bourguignon, and it finds an easy match in soft cheeses like brie and camembert or harder ones such as comté and emmental.