Our White Wine of the Year: A Burgundy Like No Other - One of the Most Complex/Delicious/Distinctive Whites I've Tasted All Year

This is perhaps my favorite of the wines of the year to pick out as I really need to go through all the

wines I tasted in my mind and see what really stood out. So many stood out.  This is the best and most memorable white wine I tasted this year. That is all. But here is the rub. It doesn't have to be current vintage or what not. I have to have tasted it during the calendar year (2015) and I obviously need to have some to source so I can offer it out to the list. That is what created the conundrum. The wine was not a current vintage and it was a shot in the dark if my supplier had any more. But shots in the dark are shots in the dark for a reason as they do work out sometimes. And this has worked out in all of our favors. I could not have dreamed of a more perfect wine that merges two of the driving forces behind Fass Selections, Burgundy and German Wines. For those that have been on the list and those that are new to the list it becomes obvious I have a thing for Burgundy and German wines. Today's wine combines the two in perfect harmony and it is in its drinking window now. Not just in its window, it is exceeding all expectations from when I tasted it in its youth.

The wine is from the OG Fass Selections' producer, Herve Murat (He was our first offer) and it is his 2012 Hautes Cotes de Nuits Blanc for as little as $25.99 (The Euro is lower than when I sold it last time and I cut my margins significantly because I want as many people as possible to try it) on a 4-pack and it is made from Pinot Blanc aka Weisserburgunder in Germany and more than any other version I've tasted from Burgundy this could be a GG but with a Burgundian flair. And it is drinking out of its mind now and will for 2-5 more years. When I first tasted this wine I fell for it hard. It had all the Burgundian wet earth stuff that one wants and expects but also a deep mineral core and racy acidity. I loved it, but it was compact and not closed per se but not at its full potential. I truly underestimated this wine because when I thought full potential I did not expect it to turn into the freak show that it is currently. Last bottle I had (2 months ago) was with an old friend who I used to work with and we opened maybe 5-6 things and this Murat was the star of the night. It awed me with its complexity, weightlessness, playful minerality (the core of minerality has been opened), texture, 4-dimensional mouthfeel and length. The fruit was so vivid and had that strong apple-pear profile that makes Pinot Blanc so good when someone nails it. It also has a tinge of honey and incredible just absolutely joyous richness.  The acidity drives it home on the finish. The two things that make this the wine of the year were the complexity and weightlessness of it. It was effortless to drink. Each sip wowed me. Truly the most memorable white wine of the year and am so glad Herve has some left.

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.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.

2012 Herve Murat Hautes Cotes de Nuits Blanc - $27.99 ($103.96 4-pack)