Michaelangelo vs Da Vinci: Great Artists Often Come in Pairs: The Michaelangelo to Brisset's Da Vinci - The Brilliant Reality Distorting 2019s of Francois Buffet, (Very, Very Limited)

 2019 Vintage
 - Incredibly High Quality
 - 50% the Number of Bottles
 - Top Wines in This Vintage Will Be Very Hard to Source at Retail

Francois Buffet
 - One of Burgundy's Top New Producers Bar None
 - When These Wines Are Open, They Can Go Toe to Toe with Pretty Much Anyone
 - Prices Are Still so Inexpensive Its Ridiculous
 - Among the Most Delicious Wines in Burgundy 
 - Phenomenal Levels of Density and Complexity
 - Wines That Slow Your Perception of Reality

2019 Francois Buffet Volnay 1er Cru "Taillepieds"
 - 92-95 Jasper Morris (Stingy British Burgundy Expert)
 - Under $70 after Tariff Rebate*
 - Compare Other Top Taillepieds at $150 - $230
 - Very Low Yielding 60+ Year Old Vines

 - Taillepieds Is Buffet's Top Wine

 - Nose: Flowers. Earth. Ripe, Focused Red Berry Fruit
 - Very Dense and Layered
 - Condensed Perfume from the Gods
 - The Platonic Ideal of Volnay
 - Huge Raspberry Cake. Black Cherry. Massive Spice
 - Lilac Concentrate
 - A Psychotic Maelstrom of Aromatics

 - Palate: Simply Perfect
 - Dense but "Volnay Dense"
 - Terrific Tiny Berry Fruit Intensity
 - Fruit Precision So Great It's Like Quadrupling the Number of Pixels on Your Monitor
 - Elegant, Textured, Terrific Energy 
 - Crazy Levels of Juiciness

 - Hits the Palate Like a Miracle

*If the tariffs are not being collected when the wines hit port the customers get the tariff amount back.

Brisset vs. Buffet

Great artists are often associated with and contrasted with each other.  The precise multi-layered paintings of Da Vinci can be contrasted with the more sensual works of Michelangelo, for example. In economics, the schools of Keynes and Hayak still battle today.

On our list, we have 2 established brilliant producers in Burgundy.  

 - Brisset's wines are so precise that they almost defy our concept of how we conceptualize the perceived randomness of nature.  

 - Buffet's wines are a bit rounder and fuller - they defy our preconceived notions but in a different way. When I drink them, they trigger so many flavor receptors in my brain, they almost overload it almost like when you have too many windows open in your computer - reality seems to slow down to a crawl. The fruit density and complexity is at an absolutely elite level.  All of this while retaining extraordinary balance.

These wines are ridiculously underpriced for the quality. 

I would put them up with anything in Volnay.  

If you drink Burgundy, I cannot advise you with enough emphasis that you need to try these wines.  

2019 Burgundy

This is the most complex vintage I've been associated with since we opened Fass Selections. First the quality is extremely high. All my winemaking partners and all the critics seem to agree. Second, quantities are down 50-60%. I have to reserve all the top wines before I taste them. To summarize: 

VERY HIGH QUALITY

VERY SMALL QUANTITIES

Below is a great Burghound comment on 2019. 

"With respect to other vintages that 2019 might reasonably resemble, somewhat surprisingly, growers nominated relatively few unique vintages, meaning a direct comparison with only one. Most, at least among those who proffered an opinion, did so by invoking two vintages, such as part 2009 and part 2010, or part 2015 and part 2016 or even a blend of 2017 and 2018. The idea behind these hypothetical blends is combining a ripe and generous vintage with one that is finer and more transparent. I would go with half 2009 and half 2010, as 2019 offers the richness and generosity of the former with the finesse, punch and gorgeous terroir definition of the latter. 

If I had to choose just one vintage with which to compare 2019, I would have to go way back in time to 1966 or even 1949." Burghound."

The Wine

Top Tier Taillepieds goes for $230 and up these days through 3 tier and Buffet's is only $72.99
($65 or so after the tariff rebate). These are my write-ups for the 2018. 

Up today is one of the top Volnays at Buffet in that they actually served this to me after the Clos du Chenes as it has power for days but also grace. 2019 Francois Buffet Volnay 1er Cru "Taillepieds" for $72.99 a bottle on a 3-pack. The 2016 got 94 points from Neal Martin at Vinous. 2019 is just as great but very different. If you have not had the 17 or 18 Taillepieds from Buffet please open one ASAP as it is glorious after 90 minutes and can be drunk young. The Taillepieds comes from very low yielding 60+ year old vines. The soils are very stony and the resultant wine has head spinning aromas and the most velvety palate one can imagine.

This is more powerful than the 19 Clos Des Chenes and the color was noticeably paler. Usually the stony and structured Clos du Chenes is always last at any address in Volnay but at Chez Buffet it is the second to last in their Volnay 1er Cru lineup.

What a wine. This is a super star.. What a palate. Amazing texture and finesse. But huge tannins but really high quality. Lovely ripeness and perfect freshness. The nobility of the site is apparent in this wine's elegant tannins and substantial structure. Unreal tiny berry fruit intensity. Has years to go but man this is a dynamite young Taillepieds.

The nose is utterly classic. So much aroma. I could live in these aromas. Stunning mid season cherries. Gorgeous minerals. Flowers. Earth. Ripe red berry/cherry fruit but very focused and keeps and keeps unraveling over hours and days. Huge raspberry cake. Black cherry. Massive spice. It has such lift and tone. High and low toned. Deep. Crisp. The nose is so slamming. So dense and layered. After hours deep ripe Macerated cherries, intense expansive minerals, floral notes with earthy, feral notes and such nuance. The level of sous bois aka undergrowth in this is stunning. It's bouquet is so elegant and so refined that is almost the platonic ideal of Volnay. The nose is just wonderful and will put a smile on anyone's face but having said all that it is still holding back it's full olfactory reveal.  This was also great on Day 2. Awesome fruit on the nose. Black cherries, black raspberry, spice, blueberry and limestone. Just super aromatic. 

The palate is so balanced, insanely pure, and ridiculously juicy. What a palate. Amazing texture and finesse. Huge tannins but really high quality tannins. Lovely ripeness and perfect freshness. The nobility of the site is apparent in this wine's elegant tannins and substantial structure. Unreal tiny berry fruit intensity. Has years to go but man this is a dynamite young Taillepieds So much tiny berry fruit intensity. Man this is pure. Like high end juice almost and not wine but it still remains vinous. That's purity. Elegant and textured with terrific energy and precision. So long and so velvety with sweet but not too sweet mid season and black cherry fruit and inimitable balance. Insanely long. Stunning. Hint of creaminess adds to the allure. On day 2, palate is round and opulent with terrific sweet fruit and wonderful freshness and tannins. Lingering sweetness on the finish. So juicy and lovely. Wow. This is easily a top wine from Buffet. Still it needs 10 years in my opinion. Usually Buffet, like in 17, can be drunk so young because of the effusive style, but the power of 18 cancels that out.

Below is the 92-95 point review from the very stingy British Master of Wine (and Burgundy expert) Jasper Morris.  In my experience, Buffet wines absolutely gravitate towards (or above) the higher ends of ones estimates as they age.  

"2019, Volnay Taillepieds 1er Cru, Domaine François Buffet 92-95

Grown at the northern end of the vineyard, some whole bunches included. Pale pink purple, then a very elegant nose, lovely cherries with a slight raspberry overlay, perfumed and gracious. Really gorgeous and beautifully balanced. The soil analysis says there is the least limestone of the Buffet vineyards here, the taste says otherwise." 92-95 Jasper Morris

2019 Francois Buffet Volnay 1er Cru "Taillpieds" - $74.99 

($218.97 3-Pack) (*Including tariff of $8.77) (VERY LIMITED)