2016 Jean-Jacques Morel Bourgogne Blanc "Les Genouvrees"
- 700 Bottles Made
- Piquant Green Apple Skin
- Insanely Complex; Village Puligny Quality Level
- "Expensive Burgundy" Quality Level for Under $30
2016 Jean-Jacques Morel Puligny-Montrachet
- 300 Bottles Made
- Incredible Concentration and Purity
- Awe Inspiring Finesse
Recently I had three semi similar experiences with the wines of J.J. Morel that illustrate the fervor
- 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. He gets it.
- 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 has 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, you can stay for a meal if you want, he just radiates joie de vivre. I then taste some of the current vintage in the kitchen, then taste the future vintage in barrel in the cellar. There is a warmth and passion to Jean Jacques along with a sense of earnestness that one does not come by that often. He is a national treasure and every time I open a bottle or JJ Morel wines I am always happy and the goosebumps never go away.
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 every year, 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. I also consider Jean-Jacques a friend and it's an honor to sell his wine. I think I'm the perfect person to convey the message that are his vinous gifts to the world.
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 that 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 in the most hands off way possible and with so much emotion and love that one can experience an almost zen or out of body moment at times when drinking them.
Up first is a wine I am very excited to write about as it's just so beautiful and along with the Domaine Berlancourt it is the best Bourgogne Blanc we sell and when anybody new wants a white burgundy I give them this wine. It's like a business card for us almost. In 2016 he only made 700 bottles so this is very limited as one would expect. The 2016 Jean-Jacques Morel Bourgogne Blanc "Les Genouvrees" can be had for as little as $29.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. The nose has a mineral/savory depth that is just so epically clean. There is also a wicked saline aspect that is incredible. The image is of a bubbling brook after fresh rain pouring down some limestone cliffs. Very piquant green apple skin that is so clean and vivid is the primary fruit element to the aromas. It has purity that is unrivaled at this level. The density and length are extra special and it exudes a fat/acid/mineral richness that only increases as it aerates. There is that savory quality on the palate that just is so dialed in on the better 16's. It is insanely complex and has just unreal freshness and purity. The low SO2 gives this wine energy and purity unrivaled at this price level. There is a texture akin to terrific gelato almost if that makes sense. It is easily Puligny quality and has a stunning sense of place and an insane electric quality to the palate. It's such a tensile and intense wine. Lean in the best way and just so so clean. This would be $60 through 3 tiers. There is no doubt! The sap, depth and complexity just don't make sense for $30. It gets to every nook and cranny of your palate. The length is ridiculous. Quantities are small and this will have to be allocated in all likelihood. If you don't normally buy expensive white Burgundy, please buy some of this - it will show you what is possible at a fraction of the cost.
Up next is the Jean-Jacques Grand Cru in all but name. And it is the best wine he has made in 2016 and maybe the best wine he has made since his 2008 St. Aubin 1er Cru "Les Combes," which we chatted about on my recent visit, in hushed tones, as that wine is gone from his cellar, and whoever has bottles is very lucky. But this 2016 Jean-Jacques Morel Puligny-Montrachet which can be had for $59.99 a bottle on a 3-pack is about as great a village Puligny as you will have and is another benchmark wine for this estate. I have almost none as he made less than a barrel. 300 bottles or so. Maybe less Jean Jacques says. 280? The nose is a vivid and classic expression of Puligny, with mineral, iodine, hickory and hazelnuts in all of their glory. Clean like you cannot believe as is the theme for Morel's wine and especially his 16s. Very concentrated with excellent purity and lot of hazelnut smokiness that comes through on the elegant mid palate. Palate is structured and very deep with unreal density and just explosiveness. There is a serious core of fruit here. Big, young, intense, sinewy, chewy and really needs a few years. It is palate staining as only the best wines are with a level of purity that is just incredible. And with all this power and bigness comes such awe inspiring finesse. The terroir here is more clay than limestone and as Jean-Jacques says "holds flavors and puts them back at you." A great wine and one of the best 2016's I have tasted. As par for the course here this wine needs 2-5 years to really show itself.
2016 JJ Morel Bourgogne Blanc "Les Genouvrees" - $31.99
($119.96 4-pack)
2016 JJ Morel Puligny-Montrachet - $61.99 ($179.97 3-pack)
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