The Next Fass Burgundy Producer to Be "Discovered" by the Critics
- A Generationally Low Yield Vintage Caused by Nature's Curse
2016 Pierrick Bouley Volnay
- 10 HL/HA
- Gorgeous, Complex, Aromatic Volnay Nose
- Generational Levels of Palate Concetraion for Volnay
- Ripeness Cut with Flowers and Minerals
- All the Finesse of Volnay Combined with Insane Concentration
2016 Pierrick Bouley Bourgogne Rouge
- The Power and Concentration of a High End 1er Cru... For $22.99
- 5 HL/HA for Bourgogne Rouge - Some of the Lowest Yields on Earth
- You Want to Have Cases of This in Your Cellar
- You Will Buy a Case for Parties and then Drink It Yourself and Curse Not Having Bought 5 Cases
"Pierrick is clearly fashioning elegant Volnays in a similar style to Michel Lafarge of Jean-Pierre Charlot at Domaine Joseph Voillot, the highlight for me being his Clos des Chênes (although I was only able to taste four of his 2016s). I will make a visit next time I am in the village to taste the full range." Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
I know that most of you signed up for this list becuase of my razor sharp wit and scintillating personality. But some of you know that the real reason to be on the list is that because of my contacts in Europe, I get the next generation of stars.
- The guys who are focusing on quality and living in the vineyards like madmen.
- The guys who are doing something just a bit different which makes them artists.
- The guys who are just getting famous in their local areas and not even known in Paris.
- The guys who are selling for $44.99 when wines of equal quality sell for $109.99
Long time listers know the producers that I've discovered and have gone on to greatness (and 2x price hikes): Galleyrand, Thomas Bouley, Chavy-Chouet, Martin Muellen, Florent Garaudet, Duroche, Billard-Gonnet to name a few.
And sadly, another Fass Find is on the queue for discovery and price increases...Pierrick Bouley. Neal Martin is no fool. Pierrick is on his radar and time is not on our side.
The winery is firmly in Pierrick's control now and his vision is driving the winery. It's a different vision than his father's. The wines still have the DNA of the Pascal Bouley that we know and love but now they are clearly Pierrick's wines. I tasted 16 and a sampling of 17s as well to get a sense of the new style. 16 is such a freak vintage (more on that soon) that I wanted to also taste something from the very young, but very promising and more normal 2017 vintage to really assess where Pierrick is as a winemaker. If I could boil it down to one word it is finesse. There is a level of finesse that really ups the ante here. (That's where Lafarge comparison comes in). There is wonderful freshness which results in wines of exceptional purity. There is still the spine and structure of the Pascal Bouley wines. These will age gloriously. The fruit is still vivid and sappy. Refined but built to age. Pierrick is lifting this estate to new heights and the wines will only get better and increase in price. Today I have two of the best values of the vintage. Pay attention.
The 2016 Vintage
Pierrick Bouley was victimized by frost in 2016. Lots of it. Frost knoweth no terroir. Yields were the wackiest crazy low numbers I've ever heard at any estate in my life. Volnay Robardelles is 10 hl/ha. Pommard is 12.5 hl/ha. Volnay is 10 hl/ha. But some vineyards had a bit better luck. Some wines they made one barrel (260-300 bottles). Others there are more barrels. Overall Pierrick was down 60% from 2015. Unreal. But what wines he made. These are collector's dreams. It's like Burgundy cubed. I love low yield Burgundy as it's not Syrah like, which is what you would think, but it's more Pinot Noir cubed. It's more essence of Pinot. I find '16 is a more Pinot vintage than '15. The wines here are exceptional and the best vintage I've tasted here by far. Each wine is magic. Just so good. So energetic and the fruit. My god the fruit on these wines is unreal. But of note is that in Champans and Clos du Chenes Pierrick had normal yields and the wines were just as remarkable as the low yield Pinot freak shows. Pierrick has arrived. This vintage reminds me of 2010 but more fruit. It's a can't miss vintage. Today I have two of the most exciting lowest yielding high value incredible Burgundies I've ever sold.
First up is the 2016 Pierrick Bouley Volnay for $39.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. Even with Pierrick raising his prices because of low low yielding 2016, $40 for a bottle of this elixir is worth it. How about 10hl/ha VOLNAY AOC? Are you ready? It's coming and it's here. This wine is ridiculous. All of the Pinot lovers on this list need this. You cannot find wine of this quality in the Volnay market. Lafarge's 16 Volnay is not out but I think it will be $80+ based on last vintage pricing and hail/frost issues. The wine is beautiful and has the power, sap and concentration one would expect from a low yield like this but also because of Pierrick's deft touch it has oodles of finesse. It's unreal. Nose of big, big cherries boiled down to their essence. Man it's so aromatic and layered but also airy. Perfumed. Spices galore and even some oolong tea. So stoney as well and delicate with intense minerality. The nose will take years to unfurl. But the palate will stop you in your tracks. This wine is bananas. On the palate, it is so deep, so rich, so complex and so insanely concentrated I cannot believe it. I spent 15 minutes with this wine. Trust me it's a lot. It's ripe but cut with flowers and minerals. And this is so pure that the Neil Martin Lafarge comparison is spot on. The finish is just stunning and left me like whoah. It's layered and my goodness the fruit and richness and power and all the finesse. It's so so deep and will age gloriously. I was emailing with Pierrick the other day and he said the wine is 10x better now than it was when I tasted in barrel in February. I cannot wait to get my hands on this baby.
So I never really do case prices on Burgundy but I have got a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm offering a case price here because it is unreal what Pierrick did with his Bourgogne Rouge in 2016. The yields. Are you ready? They are 5hl/ha. That's likely 1-2 grape clusters a vine. The 2016 Pierrick Bouley Bourgogne Rouge is the Burgundy you want to have cases in your cellar of. 4-packs will $24.99 Per bottle and cases for $22.99. This wine is batshit insane. It has power and concentration of a high end 1er Cru. The nose is intense. I mean intense like you will never ever think this is Bourgogne Rouge. Village nose is not even a question here. Super duper cherries. Red/black and so many. Flowers, spice and animal notes keep you interested. It's wonderful as it aerates and picks up detail. The palate though is the story. You will not stop drinking this because of the incredulity of what it is which is directly proportionate to be pleasure one is receiving as how delicious this wine is. My direct to consumer model is perfect for wines like these as you cannot find value like this in the marketplace for these two appellations that are this good. The palate has the biggest fruit you'll encounter in a Bourgogne Rouge. It's ripe with extract and stunning purity and freshness. It's so deep and just so rich. Juicy and crunchy with just the biggest fruit you can imagine and backed up by minerality, purity, freshness, structure and depth. The depth here is just insane.
2016 Pierrick Bouley Volnay - $41.99 ($159.96 4-pack)
2016 Pierrick Bouley Bourgogne Rouge - $26.99
($99.96 4-pack, $275.88 12 bottle case {$22.99 a bottle})
No comments:
Post a Comment