If This Was Bottled Earlier, it Would Have Been the WWOTY (White Wine Of The Year)

One of my favorite wine books is by James Turnbull and it is called Burgundy: The 90 Greatest Wines. While it is a highly personal and subjective list the book checks off all the expected boxes (Dujac CDLR, Coche Meursault-Perrieres, Ramonet BBM and the such) but also is written by an avid Burgundy lover, not someone who drinks the same 20 wines and claims to be a lover of Burgundy even though they haven't drank a 1er Cru in 20 years. Burgundy is about all of it. From Savigny-Lea-Beaune to Bonnes Mares and all its glories in between. The Turnbull book does that as it has wines such as Ampeau Meursault-Perrieres, Gelin Fixin 1er Cru Clos Napoleon and Regis Forey Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru "Les Petits Monts" which shows that there is more to Burgundy than just drinking the same 20 wines. It's why it is amongst my favorite Burgundy books as it promotes diversity and is not prejudiced against lesser AOC's or vineyards or producers. Because Burgundy is about the breadth and beauty across all appellations.

If I were to update this book (it's from 1999), I would definitely add Florent Garaudet's Monthelie Blanc "Sous Le Cellier" to a list of Burgundy's 90 greatest wines.   There is a reason why the top producers in Burgundy know of Florent as the "guy with the incredible Monthelie Blanc."  Florent has sexier terroir, but this is his signature wine, what's he's famous for and the wine I love best.  It's like a great chef who is famous for his chicken liver.  Yes, you can get the fois, but you order the chicken liver because he makes it better than anyone else.

Today I am offering the Florent Garaudet Monthelie Blanc "Sous Le Cellier" 2014 for $32.99 on a 4-pack.  This just exploded out of the glass when I tasted it with absolutely beautiful aromas, which can only be described as utterly classic White Burgundy. After 15-20 minutes the classic aromas of this cuvee develop. It's a combo of wet earth, lemon peel and some nuttiness. Faintly reminiscent of Meursault but also unique. The aromatics are especially vivid in 2014. The '14 has snap and the trademark Garaudet opulence and richness juxtaposed with the racy acidity and incredible almost viscous texture. God this wine is good. It is so long and rich and textured and has gorgeous structure and ripeness. There is an elegant complexity to this wine.  Salty finish and so much potential. This will age wonderfully.

This was a shoe in for our white wine of the year, but it won't arrive till Fall so we went with the Murat. As we all know by now 2014 is shaping up to be a terrific and historic vintage for whites. Quality is terrific across the board and many compare it to 07 or an 07-08 hybrid. It's great. Ripeness, texture, high acid, nervy, oodles of site character and minerality. They are brilliant, classical styled wines that I've been waiting a while for. While '11, '12, '13 are terrific vintages the '14's shine in a brighter light. They are remarkable wines. At every level.

The wine is exactly like Florent. Not all winemakers are like their wines in the way that some people look like their pets but in this case it is absolutely 100% true. Florent is one of my favorite people in the world. He is smart, incisive, direct, passionate, in your face, obsessive, very friendly and accessible and just an all around terrific guy. He is obsessed as any winemaker I have ever met and its invigorating to see that passion, for anything so alive in one person. You can taste his hard work in every sip and every sniff. He puts his everything into it. Probably why we get along so well, as Fass Selections is my life, passion and dream. As it has become more successful it has not become a job, but an obsession.

2014 Florent Garaudet Monthelie Blanc "Sous le Cellier" - $34.99 

($131.96 4-pack) (Limited)