Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains for Gamay Lovers and Pinot Noir Lovers

Are you Team Gamay or Team Pinot Noir?

Why not have both?

Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains AOC is one of the seven regional appellations of Burgundy that can be sourced from anywhere within the region.

While Pinot Noir and Gamay are most often produced as single varietal wines, Passe-Tout-Grains is a red or rosé blend of a minimum of 2/3 Pinot Noir and a maximum of 1/3 Gamay, with some white grapes permitted to fill in the remainder of the blend.

In Burgundy, Pinot Noir is the dominant black grape with almost 40% of the region's production, with the second black grape of the region, Gamay, having only a 2% share of the production.

Most Burgundy wines are not varietally labelled, so it's easy to overlook Passe-Tout-Grains in Burgundy when you're in the mood for some Gamay.

This 2020 Georges Lignier et fils Passe-Tout-Grains is composed of 2/3 Pinot Noir and 1/3 Gamay sourced from Morey-Saint-Denis in the Côte-de-Nuits. The two varieties were vinified separately before being blended, and unfortunately, I couldn't find any information regarding the use (or absence) of carbonic maceration.

I bought this PTG as a "study supplement" for my Wine Scholar Guild Master-Level Bourgogne course, and it was a fun wine! Juicy fruit vibes of bright raspberry, kirsch, and violets with slight tomato leaf and wet leaf undertones, soft, powdery tannins and a surprisingly lengthy finish.

At $24 a bottle, this is a nice reminder that Burgundy isn't always expensive or serious.

Have you tried Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains? What are your thoughts?