Sold out everywhere! Samion (former Petrus winemaker) 2012! Small Parcel

I don't sell much Bordeaux, but when I do, I mean it. 

"From vintage to vintage, Samion gets better and this 2012 possess a great precision in its aromatic profile as well as its structure, and its silky texture says the rest." - Revue de Vin de France

I rarely sell Bordeaux, I rarely re-offer wine, but the 2012 Samion and the 2012 Vieux Chateau St.

Andre are too good to pass up. With '13 being not the best vintage for Bordeaux, I had this allocation tucked away for a rainy day. This is that day. Below is the original offer. Same tarrif. Both are extremely limited. The 2012 Vieux Chateau St. Andre I opened the other night and they do not make Bordeaux like this anymore. From the skills of a master from a humble appellaiton, this is naked, real, non-spoofed Bordeaux with that slight right bank sexiness. I even have less of this one.

"Jean-Claude Berrouet was the winemaker at Château Petrus for over 40 years.  He also worked at Dominus.  The word "legend," while accurate, is too quotidien to do him justice.  He is certainly one of the most important winemakers of this century.  His style focuses on allowing terroir to express itself and he creates wines of supreme balance.  I have no idea why these wines are so inexpensive - if I had to guess I would say that Berrouet is sufficiently comfortable that he does not need to market them to drive up the price.  In any case, these are certainly the best, most impressively pedigreed Bordeaux for the price on the market by a long, long shot.

I am thrilled to offer the 2012 Chateau Samion (Lalande-de-Pomerol), which is the best one yet, for as little as $39.99 on the 4-pack. It could be a ringer in a blind Pomerol tasting with wines costing 2-4 times and no doubt hold its own. It has huge structure and density along with remarkable purity, depth and kinky, confectionary Pomerol fruit with incredible precision and refinement. This is the most refined Samion ever. Even Michele Bettane agrees.....

"This wine offers harmony, velvety texture and above all the freshness that is dear to Jean-Claude Berrouet. This wine is better two hours after opening."
Bettane+Desseauve, Website, Nov 2014

What I love about the 2012, is the evolution this wine has showed since 2009, which i have been drinking this week. Just more refined is what immediately comes to my mind. Each vintage becomes more refined and even exhibits more class, with the '12 being remarkable. This is about as close to Petrus, without the nuance, that you will ever taste.

The Revue de Vin de France loves this wine and I love the RVF. This is the 3rd vintage of this wine that Fass Selections has offered and it is by far the best one that Berrouet has made yet. I just drank the 2009 last night and that was after opening it on Sunday night. The 2009 needs, actually demands a 24 hour decant. Then it was all beautiful, sexy Pomerol fruit, with lots of exotic chocolate flavors and compelling minerality. But it needed that time, just as Petrus needs many many years to reveal its true character, I believe that is the way it will be for Berrouet's home estate. The wines either need a huge decant, open them in advance (a day or two) or forget about them in the cellar for 10 years.

This is NOT the Chateau Samion from Montagne Saint-Emilion, which is a cheaper and MUCH lesser quality wine. This is from Lalande-de-Pomerol.

Jean-Claude Berrouet also makes a wine called 2012 Vieux Chateau St. Andre, which I adore and have been drinking for 15+ years and I am beyond amped to offer it, as I have not seen it since the 1998 vintage, which was around $14 retail back in the day. Today I can offer the Vieux Chateau St. Andre 2012 for as little as $33.99 on a 4-pack. This is a much more accessible version from the same guy who brings you Samion, in that it can be drunk now. It is not an easy drinking wine by any means but just because of where it comes from, it is ready to go with a 30 minute decant right out of the gate. Hailing from Montagne-St.-Emilion this is 80% Merlot with the rest being Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is old school Bordeaux much like the Samion but less structure due to the soils of Montagne St. Emilion. This is an impeccable wine with beautiful cooling fruits and with great purity and most importantly not forced like so much of today's Bordeaux. It is made like Petrus with concrete vats for fermentation and then aged in 50% new oak, just like Petrus so the balance of fruit/terroir/oak is masterful. The wine is not overly fruity but exceptionally balanced with the classic chalky taste of Montagne-St. Emilion. It is also very supple, very silky and very juicy, a wine to drink now but can age.

Jean-Claude Berrouet is a unique guy. He is not a fan of biodynamic viticulture at all but more a man that is into into earth energies and the such. Picture him in a vineyard with a divining rod. He is a new age freak without you ever knowing it. He walks around in a suit all day talking about druids and inner earth energies. He is also like a wine professor in that if you ask him a question about wine he will answer you with a lecture. An interesting aside is that when he was flown out to California to set up Dominus (how the winery was going to flow) he insisted they fly out Druids from France to bring good energy to the site since it was right near the San Andreas fault. Yup. But hey, whatever works as he is obviously doing something right. If it takes Druids and divining rods to make world class wine, bring them on.

2012 Vieux St. Andre - $35.99 ($135.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)

2012 Chateau Samion - $42.99 ($159.96) (LIMITED)