Rational Expectations v Adaptive Expectations: Ninja 2017 Cellar Raiding (Under $35)

 There Is No Reason to Spend $75 for Mediocre Burgundy

2017 Laurent Boussey Monthelie 1er Cru "Les Champs Fulliot"

 - Nose: Remarkable Complexity

- Dense, Dense Fruit

- Tart Cherries, Dark Cherries, Refined Minerals

 - Palate: Incredibly Sweet Fruit: Super Juicy 

 - Insane Inner Mouth Aromas

 - Stunning Power and Complexity

 - Young, The Power and Finesse of Its Neighbor Clos de Chenes

 - With Age, This Will Be Profound

 - 50-60 Year Old Vines, Rocky Soils

 - A Ridiculous Value at $33.99 - Compare Other "Les Champs Fulliot" at $48-$64

2017 Laurent Boussey Monthelie 1er Cru "Sur la Velle"

 - Sick Nose: Stunningly Complex Aromatics

 - Herbal, Earthy, Potpourri

 - Red Ripe Cherries, Strawberries, Raspberry

 - Lovely Licorice, Coffee 

 - Cherry Lipstick

 - Alluring and Accurate

 - Palate: BIG Wine and Super, Super Juicy

 - Tremendous Palate Vivacity

 - Broad Array of Intense Flavors and Sap

 - Small Berry Intensity 

 - Maximally Delicious - Compare Other "Sur La Velle" at $60

Rational Expectations vs. Adaptive Expectations

In economics, adaptive expectations basically means that you observe what is happening and act accordingly at that point. So if prices rise, after that point, you adjust how you consume an item (or even behave generally).

Rational expectations means that you alter your behavior before the price rises by using intellect/models to predict what will happen.

For the curious, Robert Lucas won the Nobel Prize for applying rational expectations to macroeconomics. It was a revolutionary contribution and had a huge impact on macro modelling (also making it incredibly complex).

At Fass Selections, We've always tried to be rational.

What that means is that we all know that 2021 will be the lowest yielding vintage since 1981.

So we are not waiting for the impending demand crunch. We are raiding cellars in a ninja-like fashion to get you wines to make up for the impending shortage.

The 2017 Vintage

Which brings us to 2017. There’s plenty of it and it’s in an up front style that has not yet closed down and likely never will. Today I’ve got two brilliant 1er Crus from Laurent Boussey that will offer compelling drinking over the next decade while you sit on the other vintages like 2018/2019/2020.

Laurent Boussey

Every day, more and more people taste Boussey and jump on the bandwaggon.

These are old school, classic and traditional Burgs with chiseled incredible fruit (especially in 2017). Laurent has some very serious terroir as his father has retired and he has vineyards in 24 different appellations.

Oh and I buy direct so these are incredible values when you compare to 3 tier.

Laurent Boussey's 2017s

Laurent Boussey outdid himself in 2017 and blew me away with his level of quality. His 17s and 18s in barrel were truly stunning wines and he has really made a move in these two vintages up the quality producer ladder in Burgundy. They are stunningly fruited wines with insane transparency, site character and top notch finesse. They have an accessible charm to them (as is the case with all 17s) and from his anything but basic village wines to his top notch 1er Crus you cannot beat this pricing. I am very happy with Laurent and his 17s are the best vintage yet.

The Wines

First up is the 2017 Laurent Boussey Monthelie Rouge 1er Cru "Les Champs Fulliot" for $33.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This wine is ridiculous and a brilliant Champs Fulliot. You also know that I used to sell Florent Garaudet's Champs Fulliot (now $50+ if you can find it). Boussey's Monthelie Rouge's are at least in Florent's zone, quality-wise and at most, better and more interesting.

The nose. At first the aromas jump out of the glass at you. Big, ripe mid to late season cherries on a bed of serious rocks. Such a complex nose. Just the darkest, tightest cherries in a bowl of dark cherries. It's very fresh and enveloping. Smells like that 2017 well fruited essence of Pinot Noir and man, is there a refined mineral character that declares itself here after 50-60 minutes open.

The palate is where the show stops and is when I lost my poker face and called Laurent a genius. These are a huge step up over the very good 2016s at Boussey. The fruit is so sweet and intense with just the most insane inner mouth aromas. Wonderful ripeness and purity. Deep and present cherry fruit. Ridiculous balance and freshness. Lovely and complex with stunning, big and ripe tannins that are top notch, pearly and sweet. Amazing inner mouth aromas.

What an epic finish that doesn't end. Really reminds me of Clos des Chenes which it borders and has the same soil. Powerful and super complex with amazing concentration, depth and energy. It's so straight and linear. This was young and raw in barrel but Laurent's wines travel well I've noticed and this will be more open by the time it arrives in spring 2020. Even young, this was a stunner. Very very long. Very complex and finishes mineral. This is a wine of power and concentration like a young Clos des Chenes in a way but once it ages it will finesse out like Clos du Chenes does. This is a stunner now but has a chance to become profound in 5-8 years. Do not miss this. I love this vineyard and I really had no idea it existed until I started this company. I noticed there is a Roulot Champs Fulliot Blanc now, that I saw for $165 at a NYC wine store this summer. We just sold the white one Laurent makes for $35. Monthelie lies higher than Volnay, Pommard and Meursault and it feels almost isolated from the rest of the Cote de Beaune. It's very tranquil. Champs Fulliot borders Clos du Chênes (to the West). The soil is very poor and rocky, vines are 50-60+ years old.

Up next I've got the 2017 Laurent Boussey Monthelie Rouge 1er Cru "Sur la Velle" for $33.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. I discovered this on my trip how great it can really be and fell in love with it instantly. This is from 30-50 year old vines and is located next to Volnay and the great 1er Cru "Les Champs Fuillot." The most famous owner of this 1er Cru is Domaine Leflaive. Yes, that Leflaive. The good one. A 1er Cru that is a big time sleeper but really rocks. Monthelie can be too rustic sometimes but in the hands of Laurent Boussey, it has the right amount of refinement without sacrificing its "Monthelieness."

The nose is just sick. It's such an intense perfume. Herbal, dusty, earthy, potpourri, red ripe cherries, some strawberries, mushrooms, and some coffee notes. Big cherries. Lovely licorice and such bright dazzling cherry fruit. Mid season cherries and perfectly ripe. Raspberry as well. So alluring and accurate. Just stunningly complex aromas. There's also a wooly and tweedy element that just rules. It's so Burgundy.

On the palate, this is a BIG wine and super, super juicy and just exquisitely defined fruit and a sense of refinement one does not get in Monthelie that often. This amazingly ripe and pronounced tannin has a sense of refinement yet again. The tannins are super sweet and super elegant. Super complex mid palate with superb concentration and tiny cherry explosiveness and sap. There is a broad array of intense flavors and sap for days on the epic finish. Amazing freshness and purity. The sense of small berry intensity is just amazing. The length just does not quit. I love this wine. This is an example of a wine to buy the carload in 17 as it provides just superb value.

I recently had a bottle of the 2015 (lesser vintage than 2017) and it totally blew me away. There was that stunning intense 2015 fruit but Boussey kept the fruit in check so well the wine was stunning. Wonderful violet internal aromatics, lip coating, tremendous vivacity on the palate. Blind, I would have guessed $80+ form a very good producer.

2017 Laurent Boussey Monthelie Rouge 1er Cru "Les Champs Fulliot" - $35.99 ($135.96 4-pack) 

2017 Laurent Boussey Monthelie Rouge 1er Cru"Sur la Velle" - $35.99 ($135.96 4-pack)