The Only Vintage Ever Made of Perhaps the Most Intriguing White Wine I'll Ever Sell: from The Meticulous Genius That Is Vincent Ledy

2016 Vincent Ledy Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits Blanc
 - Perhaps the Most Eagerly Awaited Wine Event in My Life
 - The Only Vintage That Will Ever Be Made
 - Only One Barrel Produced
 - The Stone Fruits of Pinot Gris
 - The Limestone Minerality of Chardonnay
 - A Hint of the Oxidative Quality of Great Champagne
 - Stunningly Mineral 
 - Classic Ledy Acidity, Ridiculous Purity and Depth
 - Drinks Like Brilliant Village Puligny but with an Extra Special Kick

I Doubt That There Will Be Another Bottle of White Burgundy Ever Made That Will Be Quite Like This.

One of my favorite novels is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.  The manuscript was

discovered by his mother and published after his death (by suicide).  It's a brilliant work with perhaps the second best opening paragraph of any novel I've ever read (it's hard to top The Stranger in this regard).  The novel is brilliantly funny although there is always this sense of loss because you know that this is the only thing that the author ever wrote and once you're done with it, that's it.

I feel the same way about today's wine.  It's the first white ever released by the brilliant Vincent Ledy.  He's famous for his incredibly well made red wines.  I've always felt that if he made a white wine, it would be stunning becuase the reds are made so exactingly.  Today's wine exceeeded my expectations, but like A Confederacy of Dunces, there is that sadness about it as well because this is the only vintage with this particular unique and distinctive blend.

Today I am truly honored, humbled and just plain relieved to sell the 2016 Vincent Ledy Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits Blanc for $31.99 a bottle on a 4-Pack. First, let me say you've all had nothing like this and likely never will. Because in 2017, the Chardonnay and the Pinot Beurot will be vinified separately. This is a UNICORN. One barrel is all there is. I've got first dibs because there is no human being on earth that has asked him about this wine more and travelled this journey with him than me. It should be called Cuvee "Stop Bothering Me Lyle Fass."  It's 50% Pinot Beurot (aka Pinot Gris) and 50% Chardonnay. The wine is amazing. I love it. It's so Ledy and it's a wine you can actually drink young. The first wine from Vincent you can actually drink young. Even his straight Bourgogne Rouge needs 5 years. This wine is glorious, distinctive, unique and it's the only year it will ever be produced. It's gorgeous. The purity of the nose stands out. Very nutty with a hint of a oxidative note that is so appealing. Like something in a just maturing. champagne. It's crazy-juicy, opulent with nice richness, terrific rip roaring unreal Ledy acids. Just as I expected it would be. What a long finish with incredible balance and freshness. Stunning complexity develops after 30 minutes. It's so texturally engaging as well as authentic as it gets as Vincent's wines are uncompromising. This sees 5-10 year old barrels like the rest of his wines. It is so original that there is nothing to compare it to. Because of such a high percentage of Pinot Gris it complicates things a little but in a good way. The structure is so dynamic and unique and you have stone fruits in Chardonnay. It's so cool, and stunning limestone minerality in Pinot Gris. It's quite the wine. It's got this terrific balance between opulence, hint of oxidative quality, more like an intense baked toasty apple, alive acids and insane minerality. It's so good. Forget whatever the appellation is this wine drinks like a brilliant village wine from Puligny. Stunning purity and depth. You'll understand why this wine is worth the wait and all my nagging of Vincent once you taste it. I've never felt closer to a wine that I've sold before.

Sometimes the journey to a wine, as an importer can be as epic as an Icelandic Viking novel. Just epic. When the winemaker is a true artist, who cares little about commercialism and is a purist and idealist and makes wines that reflect that and also runs his business to reflect that, it's a wonderful thing and also sometimes, for the capitalist in me, a bit frustrating as release dates keep getting pushed back because the wine is not ready. But the truth is in the bottle and Vincent Ledy is a genius but with a caveat I have to add. His wines can be very unyielding young but once they have age, and there are 3 distinct aging levels I recommend for the 3 different micro hierarchies I've broken down in Vincent's wines.
 - The 2011s are drinking beautifully now but there is no rush.
 - The 12s can be drunk now but the higher quadrant wines like his NSG 1er Cru "Les Porrets St. Georges" cannot and needs 5-7 more years. That wine is a beast. I also would hold off on the Savigny and Chorey 2012, which are like mini 1er Crus at Ledy.
 - His 15 reds are not released yet. Later this month most likely.

He has his own release schedule and releases when the wines he thinks should be released. If commercialism did not exist he would be releasing his 09s and 10s now. And a smattering of 11s. But we are all not Chateau Latour.


Vincent though, 5 years ago has acquired some vineyards in the Hautes Cotes de Nuits planted with Pinot Beurot (Burgundian variant of Pinot Gris) and Chardonnay and he told me he was going to make white wine. This was the best news and I was so so excited to sell it. I could not imagine what a genius like Vincent would do with Pinot Beurot and Chardonnay. The debut vintage would be 2016. Last year (2017) in March I tasted it and it was brilliant. I was beyond excited to sell it. He wanted to hold it back some more and said it would be ready by November 2017. I e-mailed Vincent in October of last year to sell it and it was not going to be labeled till March 2018 so I could not sell it. I'm sure for all of those people who know me I was just so happy. I plan these offers months and years in advance so I just banged my head against the wall and waited till my trip in January 2018 to see what the deal was. We taste it again (more on the wine below) this last February 2018 and he says I can sell it. Then I FB message him when I'm back and he says no it's not ready till September 2018. I begrudgingly sigh. I email him last week for prices on the 15 reds and he says he can give them to me at the end of March but he has the white labeled and priced. I nearly passed out. The day has finally come. My partner and I actually thought it would never come, but it is here, and it should be a National Holiday.

2016 Vincent Ledy Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits Blanc - $33.99 ($127.96 4-pack)