2013 Bourgogne Pinot Noir Terres de Famille La Vougeraie

The standout among all the Bourgogne rouge we tasted for this issue, this smells like Burgundy ("Tart and stinky," said Sarah Looper of SevenFifty.com. "Burgundy needs to stink. It shouldn't smell like the buxom fruit of California.") It's a blend focused on clay soils, from two parcels in Gilly-lès- Citeaux (east of the D974, near Vougeot and Chambolle), and two parcels in Beaune (one-quarter of the blend comes from Montée Rouge, where the vines date to the early 1950s). Harmonious, red fruited, with bright sour cherry flavors, delicate herb-scented tannins and meaty notes, this is soft on acidity in the end, even as the aroma draws you back for another sip.