Pico Production - No One Not on the List Will Have These
2016 J.J. Morel St. Aubin "Traversaine"
- Brilliantly Pure Aromatics
- Incredibly Complex
- Mouthwatering, Sappy, Dense, Profound
- 400 Bottles Made
2016 JJ Morel St. Aubin 1er Cru
- A Blend of Charmes and Chateniere
- Wonderful Sappiness and Freshness
- A Perfect Storm - Complex Yet Integrated
- 250 Bottles Made
Recently I had three semi similar experiences with the wines of J.J. Morel.
- One client randomly had a bottle of the 2014 St. Aubin 1er Cru with another client and was so
enthralled by the wine that he ordered so much Morel I'd never seen anything like it before. This is someone who is drinking Ramonet/PYCM and the like on a regular basis. I remember speaking with him and he said "this is the type of wine you pull out on a Tuesday night if you really want something extra." I really liked the way that was put.
- Then I put my travel agent hat on and helped arrange a client's trip to Burgundy. He visited many of the Fass direct estates but one estate and visit was unforgettable in his mind and that was JJ Morel. I dug into my 2016 allocations and sold him some wine. He could not wait to the offer and said it was one of the most exceptional visits of his life. These pics are from his visit and he is a recent Delectable Featured User.
- Then I had an outstanding bottle of the 2013 St. Aubin 1er Cru and posted a picture on Facebook and one of the most respected Burgheads I know but have never met, instant messaged me and said he has been dying to find this stuff and does he know where I can get it. I said you are taking to the right guy.Sense a pattern here?
JJ Morel makes impossibly tiny amounts of the highest quality white burgundy you can imagine given what appellations he works with in the most loving natural way. The man is an impresario and had followed a unique and winding career path and truly marches to the beat of his own drummer. This is one talented drummer. Like a mix of Bonham/Moon and Elvin Jones. I so love tasting with Jean Jacques. He welcomes you in to his kitchen or cellar. I taste the current vintage in the kitchen, then taste what he has in barrel in the cellar. There is a warmth and passion to Jean Jacques along a sense of earnestness that one does not come by that often.
This pic is taken by the client who just visited. It's one of my favorite pictures of Jean Jacques.
No one else would try to import these wines. I get a small allocation, not enough to support a normal import portfolio. Honestly, I get so little it barely makes sense for me but everyone who drinks the wines absolutely loves them, so it's worth it to me.
These are wines that you can pretty much dedicate the evening to. The aromatics are so wonderful that you can get an evening of enjoyment just from smelling them. There is something unmistakably distinctive about these wines. Morel just makes them in a way that you can only do with incredibly small lots and you can tell they have that little something "extra." They have a subtle beauty to them is unique and distinctive in my Burgundy portfolio. And the clients who love the wines constantly write me about how terrific they are.
I struggle to describe why they are so great. Part of it is that they are so aromatic. But I think more is that they are so perfectly well made that one can experience an almost zen or out of body moment at times when drinking them.
Morel's 2016 Vintage
First of all JJ's 2016 whites, of this which is the first offer, are lights out wines. Right there with his 14s which are some of the best white burgs I've sold. They offer electric acidity, over the top minerality and startling purity and depth. Every wine. It's likely his best vintage but hard to tell as the 14's are truly great. We will see in 10 years.
Up first is a new wine as sometimes he loses vineyards and then he gains a new one. The 2016 J.J. Morel St. Aubin "Traversaine" can be had for $39.99 a bottle on a 4-Pack. He made only 400 bottles of this which is 1.5 barrels in Morel land. I've got very little. The wine is outrageous. It jumps out of the glass with terrific purity of aroma like a fresh mountain stream. The wine is electric, rich and deep all at the same time. It is the perfect storm of all the components coming together to make a wonderful whole. Super minerally and very expressive nose. Also some savory notes mixed in to the add to the complexity. It's really, really complex wine which is what my lasting impression of this wine is. Kept writing "slamming" in my notes over and over again. Tolkien is a word that comes to mind. for the freshness and mountain stream like purity off this wine. The acidity is very piquant.
Mouthwatering. Sappy and dense. Nutty, long and intense. Citrus explosion on the palate with typical Morel tremendous inner mouth florality. Utterly profound. This is limited.
Next up is the one everyone wants. The 2016 JJ Morel St. Aubin 1er Cru for $49.99 a bottle on a 3-Pack. This is a blend of the two famous St. Aubin 1er Crus "Chateniere" and "Les Combes." Big ripeness on the nose. A step up from the previous wine. Tremendous purity and cleanliness. Wonderful sappiness and such freshness. There's a freshness to the fruit quality that just has to be tasted. It is extraordinary. He made 1 barrel of this, so roughly 250+ bottles. It is one of the longest wines I've ever had from Morel. The nose is sick. Mineral, green apple, sweet lime. Just wafting. The palate is just electric and so fresh but buffered by richness and amazingly pure extract. Long winding finish like rainwater. One of the purest wines one will ever come across. This is limited as well.
2016 J.J. Morel St. Aubin Blanc "Traversaine" - $41.99 ($159.96 4-pack)
2016 J.J. Morel St. Aubin Blanc 1er Cru - $51.99
($149.97 3-pack)
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