Can't Find Affordable Spectacular White Burgundy for $50-$70? - Puligny and 1er Cru Meursault - Won't Last for Long - Boussey Rising

You Know Things Are Broken When Meh Negociant Puligny is $70-$90

Boussey Has Broken Through
 - The 2015 and 2016s Were Stunning
 - They Lacked that Last Extra Bit of Elegance/Finesse
 - 2017/2018 Has It
 - Crazy Low Prices for the Quality - Direct from the Winery

These Wines Will Get Expensive Just Like All the Other Burgundies I First Sold for Nothing
 - (Galeyrand, Garaduet, Chavy-Chouet, Thomas Bouley, Duroche, etc.)
 - I Told Everyone They Would Get Expensive
 - They Are Now ALL Expensive
 - Boussey is Next

2018 White Burgundies
 - An Outrageous Vintage
 - Incredible Density
 - Terrific Minerality and Acidic Balance
 - Reminds Me of 2010
 - Terrific Value Village Wines
 - 1er Cru's Lights Out

2018 Laurent Boussey Meursault 1er Cru "Charmes"
 - Superb, Noble  
 - Grand Cru-like Aromas 
 - Layered Ephemeral Complexity 
 - Lime Pith and Zest, Lemon Zest,
 - Minerals, Hazelnuts
 - Palate: super elegant, super fine and super complex and very juicy
 - Effortlessly Balances Pure Power with Terrific Acidity
 - Explosive Finish
 - Amazingly Delicate Yet Also Powerful and Dense
 - From 45 Year Old Vines

2018 Laurent Boussey Puligny-Montrachet
 - Village Puligny for Under $58 that Drinks like a 1er Cru
 - Sick Nose
 - Mineral, iodine, hazelnuts
 - So, So Floral: White Flowers, Daisies, Pollen
 - Almost an Umami Element
 - Spice, Citrus Rind
 - Palate: Chewy and Dense
 - An Amazing Amount of Raw Material
 - Spectacular Intensity and Profound Complexity
 - Pushing Up at Elite Levels
 - Explosive, Juicy
 - Long Finish
 - Very Limited

Why This Is an Important Offer

Louis Jadot 2017 Puligny Montrachet is $70-$90

Girardin 2017 Puligny Montrachet is $60-$95

I'm sure that these wine factories do as good a job as they can but COME ON!

You are spending that much money for a village Puligny from a giant negociant?

And the village Pulignys from high quality smaller estates like Boussey are even more than that.

I'm sorry to be blunt but that is absolutely crazy.  

And you know what?  Sometimes you just want a village Puligny without having to feel that you dropped $90 and it's some special event.  

I will tell you that it is very, very hard to find affordable white Burgundies. Especially Puligny. Even for me. And when I find them, prices increase within a couple of years. 

So that's why this offer is important.  For $57.99, you can grab a Village Puligny from a great vintage from a very, very good producer in one of the best vintages of the past decade.

And let me be clear - we only have 2 producers making Big 3 White Burgundies in this price range.  

We are not going to have an offer like this every month.  So if you want to drink a wine like this every 2 weeks or so, you should stock up - buy 6 bottles of this for the year (and 6 each of another 3).  I might buy more because 2018 is such a great vintage.

Sermon over.

The 2018 Vintage for White Burgundies

Because I have tasted a critical mass of 2018 white burgundies I can confidently say it is a better vintage than 17 and it's my favorite vintage since 2010 or 2014. Every 2018 Côte de Beaune white I've tasted has been absolutely outrageous and the higher up the ladder one goes the quality gets exponentially better. It is a stunning vintage. So what's it like? If there is one word to describe then it is intense. Like you have a 2018 next to a 2016 or 2017 of the same cuvee and the 2017/2016 is like a dog just out of the bath when they look really skinny because their hair is not floofed. The 2018 is like the dog just after he's back from the groomer and is in top top shape. They both are the same dog but obviously we prefer the floofed out dog. 2018 is the floofed out dog of white Burgundy vintages. There is a density to them that is unreal. Reminds me of 2010. They are so fresh. Just awash in acids and minerality but it's also buffered by the density of the wines so it creates this unreal harmony. The harmony of the 2018s is remarkable. The other thing is that the higher up ones goes the quality is exponentially better. The 1er Crus I've tasted have been just the best versions of all the ones I've ever sold. The village wines offer incredible bang for the buck as the level of intensity and depth is unbelievable. There are just so many terrific wines in 2018 it is hard to choose what to sell.

 

The 2018 Whites at Boussey

I was so excited to taste Laurent Boussey's 2018 whites.  He was so close to elite status in 2016 and the 2017s were great.  But one swallow does not a summer make. I wanted to confirm that 2017 was not just a one time elite thing.  And when I tasted the 2018s, at the first sip, I clenched my fist and silently shouted "Boom!"

After tasting the staggering set of Laurent Boussey's 2018 white wines I can firmly say we have a superstar on our hands (a more detailed vintage note is at the bottom).  Boussey's 18s in particular are just profound and so deep. I was blown away and I think these are among the best white Burgs in the book. They are preposterous values at these prices and should cost $100+.  The prices are just silly for the depth, power, clarity and structure oft hese wines.

The Wines

Please believe me. We are VERY LUCKY to have another Meursault 1er Cru Charmes that is as good as the Chavy-Chouet (albeit very different and a bit cheaper), that is the 2018 Laurent Boussey Meursault 1er Cru "Charmes" for $69.99 a bottle on a 3-Pack. That is an insane price for this wine. This is super, super refined stuff with incredible breeding, sicko density, amazing acidity and freshness. 

The Nose:  Superb, noble with Grand Cru like aromas. Complex and super mineral nose. Some cotton candy there and so much layered ephemeral complexity. Lime pith and zest, lemon zest, butter, minerals, hazelnuts and many rock scented aromas. 

On the palate, this is super elegant, super fine and super complex and very juicy. Hits every taste bud seemingly at the same time. Incredible palate impact. Charmes usually has some fat/gras to it and the 18 effortlessly balances that pure power with terrific intense and echoing high acidity that makes it just explode on the finish. Very intense wine. Wonderful freshness and so so pure. Amazingly delicate yet also powerful dense, ripe, full-bodied and concentrated. Grippy and structured. Fresh and intense. Long and stunningly pure. Salty, mineral finish. Incredibly poised. Such a charming wine. Like it's name suggests. Real class in a glass. Sappy and intense as white burgundy can get. Really terrific potential here. Unbelievable deal as one needs to spend a lot more to get a Charmes of this quality.  Laurent is producing brilliant wines that can easily compete some of the top estates in the Côte de Beaune. I've sent clients there that can testify that this guy has talent and is very very underrated. For now. This is from 45 year old vines. 

Up next is a wine that just blew me away and is so fine, so classic and so utterly delicious that I am proud and honored to sell it.  The 2018 Laurent Boussey Puligny-Montrachet can be had for $57.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This is a stunning Puligny and is exactly what I've been looking for ever since we lost Garaudet. A village Puligny for under $55 that drinks like a 1er Cru. It's been missing but now it is back.  I love the floral aspect to Puligny so so much, also the finesse and exceptional saline minerality. They are wonderful when they are on. This one exudes greatness and the reason is location, location, location. This lies under the great 1er Cru made famous by Domaine Leflaive "Clavouillon."

Sick nose. Mineral, iodine, hazelnuts and so ,so floral. White flowers, daisies, pollen, and some hickory after a while. Just a stunning perfume of Puligny after 45 minutes. It's very complex. Wet earth, almost an umami element, spice, citrus rind and just superbly complex with huge perfume and floral accents that can be dizzying. Classic Puligny. So on target. 

But the palate is the main story for me. It's so chewy and dense with just an amazing amount of raw material. Wine takes over your mouth with spectacular intensity and profound complexity. It's full bodied and so rich with stellar purity. So juicy and just explodes on the palate. It's so fine, refined, elegant, dense and mineral. With air it gets mindbending. Really Wows you. Such finesse and depth. Really remarkable. What a palate. So on target. Salty, tangy, delicate and so finesse driven. Beautiful purity and balance. Terrific structure. Very, very good. Almost elite but not quite. Just insanely delicious. And performed above my expectations. So much Terrific juiciness and structure. 

Tangy, citrus in the finish along with salt. So so long and persistent. This is stunning now but will age for up to 10-13 years. This is limited as the French know and he's only got a few cases left.

2018 Laurent Boussey Meursault 1er Cru "Charmes" - $71.99 ($279.96 4-pack) (*Including Tariff of $8.50)

2018 Laurent Boussey Puligny Montrachet - $59.99 ($173.97 4-pack)  (*Including Tariff of $6.64)