You know that you're on to something when you tell all the winemakers that you are going to
sell Florent Garaudet and they all say "oh yes, the one with the brilliant Monthelie Blanc." Most winemakers, in my experience, do not casually flatter their competitors (if you've met many winemakers, you know that this is the understatement of the year). These are ground floor, must buy wines from a brilliant 28 year old winemaker. Given what he is doing with village vineyards, I have no idea how good his wines will be as he acquires more land in more prestigious areas. Suffice it to say that in 10 years, I want to be able to open bottles of these 20 years down the road.
Today I am proud to offer two white Burgundies from Florent Garaudet. This is the first time these wines have been offered in America. The first wine is his stunning 2012 Monthelie Blanc for as little as $34.99 on the 4-pack. The compliments are true. This drinks like a great Meursault. No questions asked. It is a stunning expression from an overlooked appellation like almost no other I have ever experienced. There is around 40% new oak on this wine and it is beautifully integrated. I could not stop blabbing about how well integrated it was. The wine just takes over your palate. The nose is big and very impactful with mineral, floral and a skoche of oak aromas. Really pretty nose that eventually opened up with the lovely rainy Burgundian dirt. It is at once powerful and elegant on the palate and exhibits beautiful grace, delineation and detail of flavor. The palate has an extraordinary amount of mineral and there is an explosive character that has to be tasted to be believed. There is serious almost mega chewy structure and it has the guts to age for 7-8 years, which is what Florent told me. I have no reason
to doubt him. This was a profound bottle of white burgundy and it's only under $40 because the appellation is less renowned and Florent is not yet well known outside of Burgundy. I implore people to grab some of this because they have never had anything like this. I'm buying a case for myself.
If Florent can make that much of a stunning wine from Monthelie, what can he do with Puligny-Montrachet? I can honestly say his 2012 Puligny for as little as $44.99 on the 4-pack is one of the best value examples I have ever had. Usually for this quality you have to pay $60 - $80 (Carillon, Prudhon or even, dare I say, Leflaive). It has the classic, detailed, floral and minerally Puligny nose. The detailed and vivid aromas of this Puligny are what are most striking. I would not mind spraying this on as cologne if it was bottled. Puilgny #5 from Garaudet. After a while iodine and hazelnuts appeared and I knew I was in rarefied air. He was batting way above what I expected with this wine. Just stunning nose. But wait, there is a palate that is mindboggling as well. It is the full package as one could say. Stunning and classic Puligy elegance in the mouth with a super intensity, power and concentration like the best whites in Burgundy have. It is a monument to Puligny. No hyperbole here. My note said "intense as the winemaker."
I thought I was a passionate person, but Florent takes it to another level; He is a force of nature like none I have ever encountered in Burgundy. The scary thing is he's only 28 - and he's going to get even better. I instantly clicked with him and my admiration and respect kept increasing as he spoke more and more about his wines, his philosophy and Monthelie in general.
This guy is the best ambassador Monthelie has ever had. He is also a relentless hard worker in that he is a one man show. He does it all. Makes the wine, sells the wine, is in the vineyard and does all the administrative work. The estate is only 3 hectares which is minuscule and his first vintage was only 2008. He resides as previously stated in the very overlooked Burgundian village of Monthelie which is in between Auxey-Duresses, Meursault and Volnay. His goal is to be like the legendary Loire winemaker Didier Dagueneau.
Florent makes masterful wines of both colors from Monthelie. His vineyards, and many of the great 1er Cru vineyards of Monthelie, are very high up and it was a climb almost like up a mountain road to get there. It was a typical Burgundian day with lots of rain and you could smell the terroir. And oh what a smell it was.
Florent met us in front of the winery where his big In Vino Veritas sign adorned the gate. Again, another estate where I want to sell all the wines. Choosing what I wanted to offer in the first email was especially tough in this cellar. I must admit that was the coldest cellar I have ever been to in Burgundy. Oh man I was shivering after the tasting when he took us to the vineyards to take pictures. Invigorated but shivering.
Today I am proud to offer two white Burgundies from Florent Garaudet. This is the first time these wines have been offered in America. The first wine is his stunning 2012 Monthelie Blanc for as little as $34.99 on the 4-pack. The compliments are true. This drinks like a great Meursault. No questions asked. It is a stunning expression from an overlooked appellation like almost no other I have ever experienced. There is around 40% new oak on this wine and it is beautifully integrated. I could not stop blabbing about how well integrated it was. The wine just takes over your palate. The nose is big and very impactful with mineral, floral and a skoche of oak aromas. Really pretty nose that eventually opened up with the lovely rainy Burgundian dirt. It is at once powerful and elegant on the palate and exhibits beautiful grace, delineation and detail of flavor. The palate has an extraordinary amount of mineral and there is an explosive character that has to be tasted to be believed. There is serious almost mega chewy structure and it has the guts to age for 7-8 years, which is what Florent told me. I have no reason
to doubt him. This was a profound bottle of white burgundy and it's only under $40 because the appellation is less renowned and Florent is not yet well known outside of Burgundy. I implore people to grab some of this because they have never had anything like this. I'm buying a case for myself.
If Florent can make that much of a stunning wine from Monthelie, what can he do with Puligny-Montrachet? I can honestly say his 2012 Puligny for as little as $44.99 on the 4-pack is one of the best value examples I have ever had. Usually for this quality you have to pay $60 - $80 (Carillon, Prudhon or even, dare I say, Leflaive). It has the classic, detailed, floral and minerally Puligny nose. The detailed and vivid aromas of this Puligny are what are most striking. I would not mind spraying this on as cologne if it was bottled. Puilgny #5 from Garaudet. After a while iodine and hazelnuts appeared and I knew I was in rarefied air. He was batting way above what I expected with this wine. Just stunning nose. But wait, there is a palate that is mindboggling as well. It is the full package as one could say. Stunning and classic Puligy elegance in the mouth with a super intensity, power and concentration like the best whites in Burgundy have. It is a monument to Puligny. No hyperbole here. My note said "intense as the winemaker."
I thought I was a passionate person, but Florent takes it to another level; He is a force of nature like none I have ever encountered in Burgundy. The scary thing is he's only 28 - and he's going to get even better. I instantly clicked with him and my admiration and respect kept increasing as he spoke more and more about his wines, his philosophy and Monthelie in general.
This guy is the best ambassador Monthelie has ever had. He is also a relentless hard worker in that he is a one man show. He does it all. Makes the wine, sells the wine, is in the vineyard and does all the administrative work. The estate is only 3 hectares which is minuscule and his first vintage was only 2008. He resides as previously stated in the very overlooked Burgundian village of Monthelie which is in between Auxey-Duresses, Meursault and Volnay. His goal is to be like the legendary Loire winemaker Didier Dagueneau.
Florent makes masterful wines of both colors from Monthelie. His vineyards, and many of the great 1er Cru vineyards of Monthelie, are very high up and it was a climb almost like up a mountain road to get there. It was a typical Burgundian day with lots of rain and you could smell the terroir. And oh what a smell it was.
Florent met us in front of the winery where his big In Vino Veritas sign adorned the gate. Again, another estate where I want to sell all the wines. Choosing what I wanted to offer in the first email was especially tough in this cellar. I must admit that was the coldest cellar I have ever been to in Burgundy. Oh man I was shivering after the tasting when he took us to the vineyards to take pictures. Invigorated but shivering.
2012 Florent Garaudet Monthelie Blanc - $36.99
($131.96 4-pack)
2012 Florent Garaudet Puligny-Montrachet - $46.99
($179.96 4-pack)
Mix and match for lowest price.
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