I Finally Caught the White Whale: Herve Murat's "Friends and Family Only" Pinot, Plus One of the Rarest Whites of the Year

(This is going to be a long E-Mail but trust me, you need to read it because these are two spectacular and unusual wines and there is a lot of background that goes into understanding why they are so special).  

Herve Murat was the first official Burgundy appointment in Fass Selections history and he'll always have a special place in my heart. I was very nervous as I had never been in the position of pitching anything to a producer before. Luckily it went swimmingly and Herve and I got along great. Herve is a rockstar, the wines are just stunning, we have sold oceans of Herve's wine and everyone loves them. Unfortunately, the wine that I really most wanted to sell, he wouldn't sell me at the end of that appointment.  That wine is Hautes Cote de Nuits "Cuvee Marius."

This wine is, as we say in the sneaker game (I'm a huge sneaker collector) a "friends and family" release. It's pretty self-explanatory. He only doles it out to his friends and family. And Herve liked me, but we were not yet friends and family.

Fast forward to my 2nd visit and I was denied asking for Marius. But he hinted maybe. Fast forward to

my most recent visit and he said maybe, but was still leaning towards no.

Now one more fast forward to last week and I emailed Herve as he just recently sent a price list and it had Marius on it. I jumped out of my chair, e-mailed Herve, and secured an allocation of the 2010 Herve Murat Hautes Cotes de Nuits "Cuvée Marius" for as little as $37.99 on a 4 pack. 

Why is this wine friends and family?  Let me tell you a little secret.  When you look at a vineyard on a map, it's all one color and we all think that the wine made there is of uniform quality.  Many of these vineyards have varying sections with varying terrain that have been aggregated into one vineyard because the powers that be don't want there to be 9 million vineyards in Burgundy as it would be too confusing.  Many of these vineyards have subsections that have terroir that is capable of making wine that are way better than the rest of the vineyard and whatever designation the vineyard has.  So what do the winemakers do with these small plots that they can't sell for big bucks because they are technically only a Haut Cotes de Nuits, for example? They sell them to their friends and family who they know will appreciate them, and they are happy to give them a good deal.

Many of you are familiar with the Les Herbues and its bigger sibling, the Clos Duc, but many of you who have dined with me know that my heart lies with Cuvee Marius. It is from the very best section of the Clos Duc.  

So how does it taste?  Epic.  It is simply epic.  Just waves of fruit assault your palate like a force of nature. But the finesse for such a big wine, combined with just the insane mouthfeel and beautiful terroir footprint make this wine just incredible. It is structured like a Grand Cru. No doubt about it. Herve had a winemaker in recently to taste and the winemaker said he is making Grand Cru Hautes Cotes de Nuits.  It is massive. Yet supremely elegant. Needs maybe a 10 hour decant, but is the richest wine I have had from Herve, but still is in his very traditional semi old school style. Totally classic Burgundy.

Marius is Herve's son. He is around 5 years old. This will last till he is 16, or whenever the drinking age is in France. It is aged in special 600 liter barrels and is aged for 24 months. For me it is one of my favorite wine of his because they are so stunning and delicious and challenge our perceptions of the kind of quality that can be created from specific vineyards.

This is obviously a micro production wine. I have a set allocation and cannot get any more. Please send me your request and I'll see what I can do.

I also have a semi small allocation of, I guess what the kids call a "#unicornwine." Another wine I have been begging Herve to give me. He makes a piddling amount and once the vines die, Chardonnay has to be planted there. Burgundy geeks already know what I am talking about. It's the 2012 Herve Murat Hautes Cotes de Nuits Blanc for as little as $29.99 a 4-pack. 

Yes! A white wine from Herve Murat. And it is the real deal. It is made from Pinot Blanc and not Chardonnay. Pinot Blanc plantings have been nearly entirely phased out of Burgundy. There are a clustering of some Pinot Blanc vines planted mainly in Morey and few other spots. I've tasted a number of them but none like Herve's. It really should be called Weissburgunder as it has all the acidity and precision of a top German white, yet still the richness of great Pinot Blanc. It is explosive and the finish is maybe the longest of any of Herve's wines. It does need a massive decant like all of Herve"s reds; but it is worth it. Herve's wines need to breathe more than any other Burgundy producer I have. I have also very little. I know Herve sells a good chunk of it to his British Importer and I have a tiny parcel. Same rules apply to this as the Marius. I have very little. It will be allocated if need be.

This wine is truly awesome: the unique flavor profile of Pinot Blanc crossed with the amazing terroir of Burgundy  combined with the incredible winemaking talents of one of Burgundy's top young winemakers.  Can you imagine bringing this to a blind White Burg tasting?  It's worth buying a half of a case just to mess with your wine geek friends.

This is one of the coolest emails I have offered at Fass Selections and it is all about relationships.

These are slated for the 2nd Fall shipment in November.

2010 Murat Hautes Cote de Nuits Blanc (Pinot Blanc) - $31.99 

($119.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)

2012 Murat Hautes Cote de Nuits "Cuvee Marius" - $39.99 

($151.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)