The Brooding Bramaterras of Brusnengo

 Filippo Barni

 - Distinctive "Brooding" Style

 - Almost Pommardian Flavor-Wise (Less Brawny, More Elegant)

 - Darker Fruits, Complex Aromatics

 - A Major Middle of Nowhere Discovery

 - Only 330 Cases Made

2017 Filippo Barni Bramaterra

 - All Star Nose

 - Tar, Leather, Smoke

 - Mid Season Cherries, Unreal Bruised Cherries

 - So Layered

 - Sous Bois

 - Palate: Sick Cherries

- Sexy Texture

- Caresses the Palate

- Almost a Sensual Cling

 - So Taut and Deep

 - Complex, Structured and So Old School

 - Will Age for 25+ Years and Peak in 5

2013 Filippo Barni Cantagnal Erbaluce Apassiemento Autumnal

 - One of the Most Special Wines I've Ever Sold from Italy

 - I Think That Italy Is #2 Behind Germany for Dessert Wines

 - This Wine Reminds Me a Bit of Aged Riesling

 - Crazy High Acidity and Freshness

 - A Vinous Treasure

 - Nose: So Complex

 - Dried Apricots, Sea Breeze, Orange Zest, Jellied Orange Citrus Flesh

 - Amazing Detailed Nuttiness

 - White Raisins, Golden Raisins

 - Caramel That is so Elite and Expansive

 - Palate: A Wow

 - So Rich and Decadent

 - Apricot, Grilled Nuts, Citrus Jelly

 - Superbly Mineral and Complex

 - Burnt Orange Rind

 - Fascinating Minerals

 - Spectacular and so, so Juicy

 - Gorgeous Mouthfeel and Texture

"These wines compete with very good Barolo quality-wise" - One of my most experienced and knowledgeable customers 

When I was tasting these wines, the word that kept on going through my mind was "brooding."
And when I think of brooding, my mind naturally turns to the Prince of Denmark. I'm not saying that I contemplated my existence while drinking these wines. Well, not any more than I usually do. But there is a fascinating character to them. Almost introspective in a way. And they are not exactly glou glou wines. Many of our Alto Piemonte wines have that bright cherry fruit with uplifting spice. 

These are at the other end of the spectrum. Deep. A bit dark. Very complex in a way that captures the attention. And maybe leads you to contemplate your existence.

There has definitely been a gold rush in Alto Piemonte but it hasn't quite reached every little town. And it didn't reach the 2,127 population commune of Brusnengo until my partner, in one of his insomniac late night data scrapes found Fillippo Barni and got them to send me samples.

They only make 330 cases of wine a year and are likely too small for pretty much anyone but us. And they don't market much so the prices are, let me say, more than fair. I could have charged 30% more and they would still be great deals. Maybe even more than that. It is very rare to find wines with this kind of complexity these days. 

The Wines

Up first is the 2017 Filippo Barni Bramaterra for $29.99 each on a 4-pack. Nope. Not a typo. They sent me two bottles and each one was spectacular. Why are these wines this good? I'm sure they work hard in the vineyard and are hands off in the winery but there's something extra here. There's a sense of refinement one does not get that often in Alto Piemonte. And at the price of $29.99 a bottle I don't think one gets it anywhere in the world of wine really.

What a nose. An all star nose. Heaven. Tar, leather, smoke, mid season cherries and so layered. Sick nose. Sous bois. Unreal bruised cherries. Mint. Menthol. So so, so high toned and expansive. Cough drop. Just sick. A 9.5 nose. Easy. On Day 2 it didn't let up. Sick, sick nose. Haunting. Ethereal. Like a Volnay/Bramaterra cross. Wow. Spices and cherry and well but also sick nuance and other stuff.

Palate is incredible. Concentrated. Sappy and so pure. Velvety tannins, and sweet earthy fruit. Barely sweet though. Deep, super deep. Amazing mid palate with a tiny bit of opulence and such sap and purity. Such sick cherries. The fruit is so taut and deep. Complex, structured and so old school.

Long finish and refined tannins cake to the mouth. Long. Pure. Fresh. Sweet deep fruit. This is astonishing. Incredible density and yet light on its feet. This is one of the best Bramaterras I've ever had. On day 2, palate is crazy. Like crazy juicy with sick tannins and ripeness but so classic. Man this is impressive. Awesome texture. High quality refined tannins and some vivid, sappy dark cherry fruit on the finish. Long. Better in 5-7 years. Maybe more. Vin de garde. What a finish. Will age for 25+ years and peak in 5 and will last and last.

The 2013 Filippo Barni Cantagnal Erbaluce Apassiemento Autumnal for $36.99 (500ml bottle) each on a per 3 pack is a vinous treasure that is why you shop at Fass Selections. Claudia, being a mesnch also sent me the 08/05/03 to compare to the 12 and 13 to see how this wine ages and man does it age. It ages wonderfully and gets fresher, leaner and infinitely more complex and nimble. 

What a nose. Dried apricots, sea breeze, orange zest, jellied orange citrus flesh. Amazing detailed nuttiness. So complex. Wow! Is that soy? Yes it is. Hoisin as well. I can't place the nuts but they are so brilliantly realized. I swear there is a Chinese food thing going on in the nose here but it works! 

On the palate, wow. Rich. Decadent. Not shy. Amazing texture. Just great acidity and so long. Flavors of apricot, grilled nuts, citrus jelly, and superbly mineral and complex. So airy in the finish with bits of caramel and charred orange rind. Viscous but also fresh and textured. Gets longer as it airs out. 

Day 2 notes are very important with dessert wines as they lose nothing and only get better and fresher as was the case here. 

White raisins. Golden raisins. Caramel that is so elite and expansive. Grilled nuts. Burnt orange rind. And fascinating minerals that really put this in a class by itself. Wow this is spectacular and so so juicy. Just incredible freshness, yet rich and so beautiful. It has such intense flavors but also it has the balance and depth of the best sweet wines I have ever had . What mouthfeel and texture. Insane inner mouth aromas and caramel that is to die for. It has the sphere and orb in a sweet wine. Amazing! This will last 25 more years! Amazing!

2017 Filippo Barni Bramaterra - $31.99 ($119.96 4-pack)

 (VERY LIMITED)

 

 2013 Filippo Barni Cantagnal Erbaluce Apassiemento Autumnal - $38.99 ($110.97 3-pack {500 ml})  (VERY LIMITED)

Two Divergent Robert Frost Wines

 2020 Weltner Rödelseer Kuchenmeister Sylvaner Trocken Erste Lage

 - Composed Like a *** Michelin Dish

 - Unbelievable This Is Not His Top Bottling

 - An Absolute Wow Wine 

 - Transportative Aromas

 - Amazing Depth and Precision

 - Lime Zest, Lime Pith, Airy, Mineral, White Pepper

 - Calming and Zen-Like

 - Palate - Unbelievable Refinement

 - Concentrated and Deep

 - Remarkable for its Purity, Poise and Precision 

 - Mineral Wall of Flavor on the Finish / Tall Normal Bottles 

2020 Gunther Steinmetz (with Paul Weltner) Virgo Gaia "Scheu Aber Wild"

 - Only 360 Bottles Made

 - Brilliant Weltner Scheurebe Fruit (from Franken)

 - Stefan Steinmetz's Mad Genius Winemaking (in the Mosel)

 - A Collector's Item for German Wine Geeks

The Road Not Taken The word "divergent" in the title obviously refers to Robert Frost's iconic poem, "The Road Not Taken." German white wine lovers obviously consume mostly riesling. But I've tried to highlight other grapes as well for the true connoisseurs. One is silvaner. Paul Weltner's silvaner bottlings are one of the reasons that I started the company. They are some of the finest white wines in Germany and incredibly distinctive. These are in the running for the best silvaners made in Germany. The second wine today is even more unique. It is made from Franken grapes grown by Weltner and vinified by Stefan Steinmetz using extended skin contact. Only 360 bottles were made and it's mostly just a fun project between friends. No one else will be bringing this to a wine tasting, that's for sure. The Wines Up first is the 2020 Paul Weltner Rödelseer Kuchenmeister Sylvaner Trocken Erste Lage for $24.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. Of the two 1er Cru Sylvaners Paul makes this is the more clean, the more precise, the more shimmering. This wine shimmers. You gotta wear sunglasses to drink this stuff.  The aromas of these wines transport me. Just like a field. Heavenly. Amazing depth and precision. So refined. Silky this is under $30. Lime zest, lime pith, airy, mineral, calming and zen-like. White pepper. As it opens the wine's aromas become confectionary. Electric acids. Not over the top acids but perfect acids. Gets it to a bit beyond lean. So good.  Palate is god-level. So juicy and clean. Unbelievable refinement. Structured, balanced and so so juicy. Concentrated and deep with spring mineral favors and fresh vegetable flavors. But only the best ones like fiddlehead ferns, bok choy and others of that ilk. The finish is long. Wow. Longer than it should be. This is remarkable for its purity, poise and precision as this bottling always is. Mineral wall of flavor on the finish. Just divine wine.  On Day 2, as is the case with Weltner it was even better. Stunning nose. Mint, wafting minerals, airy and tons of rocks. Rock droplets. Palate is so juicy and clean. So refined,cooling and long. Opulence and minerality. Like a laser of Sylvaner. Such a long finish. This is a wine anybody can love. I wish people would drink Sylvaner rather than mediocre Chardonnay. Up next I’ve got the first ever wine collaboration in Fass Selections history from two iconic Fass Selections’ growers. They are Paul Weltner and Stefan Steinmetz. They have become very good friends and trade each other wine often and decided in 2020 to collaborate on a Scheurebe. The 2020 Gunther Steinmetz (with Paul Weltner) Virgo Gaia "Scheu Aber Wild" 2020 for $36.99 a bottle on a 4-pack is as rare as it gets. Each of them got to keep 180 bottles and I’ve got a small batch. This is made in a natural style with 10 day skin contact and low sulfur used throughout. It’s so rare I haven’t tasted it yet but it takes the best of Steinmetz and Weltner and merges into one profound bottle of Scheurebe. This is likely quite distinctive. 2020 Weingut Weltner Rodelsee Kuchenmeister Sylvaner Erste Lage - $26.99 ($99.96 4-Pack) (VERY LIMITED) 2020 Weltner/Steinmetz Virgo Gaia "Scheu Aber Wild" - $39.99 ($151.96 4-Pack) (VERY LIMITED)

On the Short List for the Greatest French Whites Outside of Burgundy - Les Christine

 2020 Gilles Berlioz (Domaine de Partage) Chignin-Bergeron "Les Christine"

- The Best Wine in Savoie - Unlike Any Wine in the World

 - Your White Wine Education is Incomplete Until You've Had This

 - $99.99 for a Wine This Good Is a Remarkable Value

 - Aromas: Crazy Complex

 - Psychotically Floral like an LSD Trip

 - Like Elite Condrieu

 - Spice Notes

 - Epic Aromatic Fruit Complexity

 - This Extra Dimension to the Aromatics I Can't Explain

 - Utterly Ridiculous

 - Palate: Elderberry, Pineapple, Lychee, 

 - Brioche, Smokiness and even Some Fenugreek

 - Utterly Beguilingly Fresh 

 - Gorgeous Crystalline Minerals

 - Dazzling Purity, Concentration and Complexity

 - Utterly Crazy - A Wow Wine

 - This Would be a Unicorn Wine ... if The Hipster Somms Could Get It

I did a podcast recently and brought the 2020 Berlioz Les Christine Chignin-Bergeron and was blown away by it. It showed very young and promising but man - this is a wine of utter genius and one of the best white wines we've ever sold. I asked Gilles if he had any more and he did! It's not a lot but I want everyone who wants one to at least try a bottle. 

Benchmark Great French Wines Not from Burgundy

This is my benchmark list of the Greatest White Wines of France that are not Burgundy. These are wines that are typically made by masters and from selected parcels that have fantastic terroir and are able to produce wines that are every bit as good as the top wines coming out of Burgundy. And these are always less expensive than the top Burgs.

 - Loire - Roches Neuves, Vatan, Guiberteau, Collier, Boudignon and the Cotats

 - Provence - Trevallon, Chateau Simone 

 - Rhone - Chateau Grillet, JL Chave Hermitage Blanc, Sorrel Hermitage Blanc "Les Roucoules" 

Those who have tried these wines will tell you that when properly aged they are singular and remarkable drinking experiences that can compare with the great wines from their brethren in the more well known (and vastly more expensive) regions of Burgundy. The Berlioz Les Christine is on this list. 

The Wine

Now I am thrilled to offer the top white wine in the Savoie and one of the greatest wines in all of France. Period. The 2020 Domaine de la Partage (Gilles Berlioz) Chignin-Bergeron "Les Christine" for $99.99 a bottle on a 3-pack.

It is 100% Roussanne that is aged in a fiberglass egg, except this egg is more horizontal than vertical. I've never seen an egg like it and as a result of the shape it makes the wine different than the other more vertical eggs.

This is the best wine I've tasted from Gilles. Easy. It is pricey for a Savoie wine (and through 3 tier it would cost $165+) but think of this not as a Savoie wine but one of the world's great white wines, comparable to a great white Burgundy or a top Northern Rhone white. This is comparable to the great Beaucastel Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (which is twice the price) in my opinion yet with a much different mineral expression as it is more appealingly alpine. But it is right there qualitatively with that wine. I prefer it. Along with the exotic fruit profile of the Roussanne, and the texture, oh my god the texture of this wine is to die for, ridiculous aromatics, and this compelling alternate alpine reality minerality, you've got a really profound bottle of wine. The color is deep and golden but with a green glimmer. Even the color cannot escape the alpine qualities of Chignin. There is a lovely almost Champagne-like brioche quality to the expansive aromas as well. 

The aromas are crazy complex and reveal more and more with coaxing and extended aeration. Floral and spice notes complicate things even more. Add to this a smoky complexity and you have aromas that are just ever changing. There is an awesome fruit complexity to the aromas that I've never encountered in any other wine. 

The palate delivers all that the freakishly awesome Roussanne can. Elderberry, pineapple, brioche, lychee, more smokiness and even some fenugreek that Christine communicated to me via my translator. It is honeyed but so fresh, juicy and mineral as well. There is stunning volume here. The wine really is distinctive and specific with its aromatic and flavor spectrum as well (fenugreek, etc.). With all of this it is utterly beguilingly fresh with beautiful minerality. So pure. So precise. Truly one of the most special wines I've sold. I do now know how long it will age but I'd say 10-12 years. Love to see it in 5-6. That nose and that texture will only get better.

Also it has all the ingredients of a unicorn wine, or should I say pre unicorn wine as it has not yet gotten into the hipster somm hashtag round robin. It is made in minuscule quantities. He is close friends with another unicorn wine producer, Ganevat. There is a juicy quality from the acidity because 2020 has that juiciness down which is even more remarkable considering how arid 2020 was. This is from a very special plot of 25 year old Roussanne vines that the "two Christines" his wife Christine and his worker at the Domaine, Christine Meitas, have selected as a special parcel right below the castle in town of the best grapes of Roussanne at the estate. They have picked well. This is a wow wine and will blow anyone away. Very Limited.

2020 Gilles Berlioz Les Christine Chignin Bergeron - $101.99 ($299.97 3-pack) (VERY LIMITED)

The Best Pinot Noir No American Has Ever Had

 The Next Burgundy Grand Cru

 - This Wine Is In the Same League with Our Top Burgundies

 - Burgundy Is the Ideal of Classically Made Pinot Noir

 - Burgundy Does NOT Have a Monopoly on All of the Great Terroir for Pinot Noir

 - There Is No Magic Pixie Dust

 - Somehow, Switzerland Got Some Too

 - Yes, You Can Drink Burgundy All Day

 - But Burgundy Is About Appreciating Terroir

 - If You Truly Love Burgundy You MUST Try This Wine

 - Try the Road Less Travelled, At Least Today

2018 Weingut Riehen Le Grand Rouge (Pinot Noir)

 - Reminds Me Most of 2 Grand Crus: Clos de la Roche and Clos Vougeot

 - But with a Distinctively Gorgeous Alpine Element

 - More Burgundian than His Ziereisen Label

 - A Rare Opportunity to Try New Grand Cru Quality Pinot Noir from a Unique Vineyard

 - Stunning Does Not Even Begin to Describe This 

 - Nose: Absurd - Blasting Lipstick Aromatics

 - Intense, Deep, with Morey Spice and an Alpine Element

 - Palate: Dense, Sappy, Explosive, Brooding

 - Grand Cru Quality Texture, Purity, Concentration and Intensity

 - Would Be Well Over $150 Through Traditional 3 Tier Stateside ($97.99 in this Offer)

 - Dark Fruit, Dark End of Season Black Cherries

 - Elite Elegant Richness

 - The Closest Thing I've had to Elite Grand Cru Burgundy that is Not Elite Grand Cru Burgundy

2018 Weingut Riehen L'Unique Pinot Noir

 - Swiss Liaison

 - An Extraordinary Wine for the Money

 - Nose: Off the Charts

 - Earthen Scents, Alpine Grass 

 - Mid Season Cherry Fruit, Raspberry and Strawberry

 - Wild Flowers

 - Umami Scents

 - Palate: crazy Energy

 - Superb Dark Cherry Fruit

 - Gorgeous Minerals

 - The Fruit Here is Extraordinary

 - Stunning Purity and Clarity

 - Among the Best "Bourgogne Rouge" You Can Buy

"That's the problem in Switzerland,...The winemakers are too perfect. The wineries are too clean. They do too much in the cellar to make them perfect, refining and fining..." - Hanspeter Ziereisen

The 2018 Vintage

2018 is the best vintage of Weingut Riehen (Swiss Ziereisen project) I’ve ever tasted. I’ve
tasted them all since 15, but 18 is on a whole other level. The wines have a depth that is just beyond any other vintage. There is elite finesse in the top 2 wines as well, the Le Petit and the Le Grand. But they also have that unique and compelling wild mountain Swiss character that makes Swiss Pinot so special. Wild flowers, wild soils, a plant as medicine medicinal character if that makes sense is what separates these wines. It’s always a treat to taste the best vintage so far of a winery one loves and also seeing them grow to the next level of quality. 

The Next "Burgundy Grand Cru" and Why You Should Try It

Why is almost all of the elite Pinot Noir in the world grown in Burgundy? Did you ever ask yourself that question?

Did God or nature just create some magic pixie dust and only sprinkle it on Burgundy?  Or is it that Burgundy is an ideal.  

 - An ideal of a meticulous approach to identifying terroir. 

 - An ideal of following winemaking techniques that allow that terroir to shine through.

 - An ideal that is understood and appreciated by many of the top wine lovers on earth,

And if Burgundy is that ideal and not magic pixie dust, then as wine lovers do we not have the impetus, indeed the obligation to seek out and try new terroir that produces brilliant Pinot Noir? And more importantly Pinot Noir that is as different from Chambolle as Chambolle is from Vosne or Gevrey.  

The opportunity to experience a completely new wine made by a master in elite terroir is something that most of us cannot do. The elite wines in Burgundy are known by anyone with a broswer. And the prices have been bid up.... a lot

The First Wine

For me for a new wine to be delicious and distinctive like this is as rare as it gets. It has something to it that I've never had or tasted before in Pinot Noir and I can only assume that it is the quality of growing grapes in the mountains. The AOC is Basel-Stadt and the soil is blend of limestone and loess. This needs, no demands, a two hour decant. It was pretty tight when I opened it but I had faith that a wine Hanspeter had a hand in would eventually reveal its greatness. And oh man is it great.

I don't often get Biblical. But it's not often I get to be the first store in the US to sell a Grand Cru quality Pinot Noir. And it's not just any random Pinot Noir, it's a Pinot Noir made by one of the top 2 German producers of pinot noir. The Germans and Swiss are scooping up the insanely small production as these are incredible world class wines that are taking their rightful place in the constellation. This is a big deal. My fingers are almost tripping over themselves I'm so excited to be writing this offer.

I'm thrilled to offer the Grand Cru style wine today from Weingut Riehen which is the 2018 Weingut Riehen Le Grand Rouge (Pinot Noir) for $89.99 a bottle on a 3-Pack. This is the Swiss equivalent of the Jaspis Alte Reben and you all know how profound that wine is. But this is better. After the 18s I’m convinced. This is the best Pinot HPZ has ever made and there’s some stiff competition. This is more profound as the Jaspis Alte Reben but it's completely different. Like the difference between a Richebourg and a Corton Bressandes (if I had to pick two random Burgundy Grand Crus out of a hat). But if there was one village that this epic wine reminded me of it was Morey St. Denis and Clos de la Roche and/or Clos Vougeot. Both of these when done correctly have a distinct earthy spice that sets these two Morey Grand Crus apart. The Le Grand has that but with an alpine mountain twist to it. It's quite profound and makes this wine all the more alluring. What a wine. Stunning does not even begin to describe it.

Nose is absurd. Dark fruit, dark end of season black cherries. Bursting from the glass and with that telltale Ziereisen fruit purity. Really intense and deep aromas that you can get lost in. So much of that Morey spice I was alluding to earlier. It's hypnotizing. The nose gives off those pungent blasting aromatics like lipstick does. Nose is all woodland berries, mountain spice, insane florals and sweet herbals and unreal mountain cherry. So alpine and floral. Captivating and enveloping aromas. Plum skin as well that is so so fine. Stunning purity, breadth and detail the nose. Enchanted forest floor aromas. Keeps changing and changing. Just stunning. 9.6 or 9.7 on the nose. Smell like Grand Cru Burgundy. But with air it gets insane!! Freaking unreal nose. Dark violets, alpine scents galore, the best and most pure, vivid black cherries I’ve ever smelled. Wow. Just stunning. Smells rich but alpine rich!

Dense, sappy and just ridiculously explosive palate. This is Grand Cru all the way in texture, purity, concentration and intensity. It's got that urgency. Amazing texture and mouthfeel with tons of dark fruit and spice. The wine is amazingly brooding and has incredible sweet, ripe yet firm tannins and a fierce mineral backbone. It leaves your mouth watering. Stunning levels of power and concentration. The quality of the tannins is something special. So fine. Like silk. ZOMG the palate. Insane fruit and sweetness. So sweet and so intense. Wow. Mid to late season red and black cherries. Just so elegant and pure. Suave and chewy but silken tannins and impossible length. Just sickness. So long. Endless. Sappy and noble. There is a very serious and substantial structure here. This is truly amazing wine. Better than the 15. 9.6 for now.

After air the texture on this is truly stunning. So velvety. Amazing sweetened and no hard edges. Wow that palate. Incredible freshness and density allied with just the most amazing finesse. This is as grand as any burgundy grand cru. Man, I could smell this forever. Amazing structure and the sweetest most velvety tannins. Amazing fruit concentration. What a finish. What complexity. Just stunning. Super young but super incredible. 18 is the best vintage of Riehen I’ve ever tasted. As it airs the fruit comes more Into focus on the palate and the nose. What clarity. Just a tiny hit of opulence and then unreal freshness, leanness and sweet fruit. Unreal juxtaposition. Nose has so much Burgundian sous bous now and really is in Clos Vougeot territory. Brilliant. An elite wine. As it airs the texture gets more sweet and voluptuous which really takes it to the next level. It seemed to be at t's best after 3 hours.This is very close to a 9.8 but not quite. 

This will age 20+ years and probably shouldn't be touched till 2025. What a wine. This is to be buried in the cellar. It needs maybe 10 years or a 2-5 hour decant if one wants to try it young.

Up next I have what I hope is the Swiss version of Liaison. The 2018 Weingut Riehen “Cuvee Unique” for $29.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. It’s quite hard to find a reasonably priced Pinot Noir from Switzerland. Today is that day. I’ve cut my margins so it’s priced under $30. This is simply an extraordinary wine for the money and I cannot recommend it enough. It’s got stunningly fruit clarity and all the alpine character one could pine for. This is a new entry level wine for them and the 18 is the debut vintage. Like the Le Grand it is from the Basel-Stadt. 

Beautiful nose of earthen scents, mid season cherry fruit, wild flowers, alpine grass and some sort of umami scents. Seems like it has more to give. And it really dramatically improved with air. Gorgeous brambly nose with cherries galore and earthy and spicy aromas. Raspberry and strawberry. Floral. Just a knockout. 

Palate is fresh as a daisy with crazy energy and superb dark cherry fruit that really sticks to the palate. Palate with lots of air is elegant and ripe with wonderful fruit and stunning purity and clarity. Also a very meaty vibe. Awesome. Such freshness and cut. 

Terrific finish that clamps down. Awesome. A new stunning value Pinot from Ziereisen’s Swiss project. Deep and ripe tannins and a lovey rusticity as well. Gorgeous minerals awash the finish along with loads of black cherry fruit. This is fantastic wine. Gets very chewy with air. But man the fruit here is extraordinary. Such clarity. Palate with lots of air is elegant and ripe with wonderful fruit and stunning purity and clarity. Also a very meaty vibe. Awesome. Such freshness and cut. 

The Estate

My story with this estate started a few years ago. I was arranging samples from Ziereisen and they also sent me the Swiss wines (Jost & Ziereisen, now called Weingut Riehen). The 2015/2016 "Le Petit Rouge" was a wine that I got at least 7 emails from clients absolutely blown away by that wine. Then I kept asking Edel about the prices for the 2018 Swiss wines. It took 3 months but I finally got them in February and of course that means I had to instantly sell these two wines. These are wines that are so brilliant because they are Zieriesen making Grand Cru and 1er Cru Burgundy style wines in Swiss Mountain terroir in Basel-Stadt which is really an extension of Baden but it's still in Switzerland. It's an insane combo and the level of distinction here is hard to beat. They are incomparable. Today the Grand Cru Pinot of Weingut Zieriesen and the stunning debut of a new “Village Pinot.” 

2018 Weingut Riehen Le Grand Pinot Noir - $91.99

($269.97 3-Pack) (VERY LIMITED)

2018 Weingut Riehen l'Unique Pinot Noir - $31.99

($119.96 4-Pack) (VERY LIMITED)

JanotsBos' Perfect Storm Year: 2019 Density Merged with JanotsBos Elite Elegance

 Janotsbos Is An Absolute Star 

 - Incredible Clarity in All Elements

 - Textbook Elegant Winemaking

 - If You Love Burgundy or a Terroirist, These Are Must Buys

 - I Buy These Direct So That Are Steals for What they Are

2019 Domaine JanotsBos St. Aubin 1er Cru "En Creot"

 - Stunningly Vivid Fruit with Incredible Freshness

 - Fruit Complexity Has So Much Pure Green Apple, Apricot

 - Power and Concentration Matched with Epic Purity, Fruit, Acid and Freshness

 - Delicious St. Aubin Richness but Balanced By Minerality 

 - Will Compete for The Most Delicious White You Drink All Year - Against Anything

 - His Most Accessible, Delicious Wine

 - The Sleeper Value of His Portfolio

 - The Only 2019 1er Cru and High End Wine from Janotsbos

- No Morgeot Made and Chassagne 19 Already Sold Out

2019 Domaine Janotsbos Bourgogne Blanc 

 - The 2014 was our White Wine of the Year - This CRUSHES It. 

 - Fruit: A Blend of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet

 - Smells Like a High Class Village Wine

 - Super Mineral and Super Expressive

 - Big Apple and Pear Fruits

 - Palate: Incredible Clarity of Fruit

 - Terrific Flavor Authority 

 - Sappy Minerals

 - Very Concentrated

 - Tremendous Village Level Finesse and Sap / $27.99 CASE PRICING

A Perfect Storm Year for JanotsBos

While all of our wines skew elegant and traditional for their areas, there is always a range within each
region. In Burgundy, JanotsBos is perhaps our estate that is most focused on pure elegance. In years where fruit is less ripe, the wines are almost ephemeral. The bare essence of Burgundian fruit stripped of all pretense.

But in years like 2019 where you have elite density, you get something that is quite special. These are wines that will be remembered.

The Wines

Today I've got two of my absolute favorite 2019’s I tasted. The brilliant St Aubin 1er Cru that I think is directly under the Chassagne 1er Cru Morgeot. It's the sleeper value steal of the whole line up. His epic St. Aubin 1er Cru "En Creot." I’ve also got his epic 19 Bourgogne Blanc. This will be one of the last 2019 white Burgundy offers. And one I’ve been waiting for for a very very long time.

I am very excited to offer the 2019 Domaine JanotsBos St. Aubin 1er Cru "En Creot" for $47.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This is a Fass 4-3-1 plan. Buy 4, slug one down young. 2018 is a brilliant vintage at JanotsBos to drink young but has the real deep structure to age. I had an 2008 of this that was mind blowing. This is from a south facing vineyard and my note says great stuff and indeed it is. 

The nose is very lean, very mineral and saline with lots of iodine and white flowers with a deep stony mineral earthiness as well. Almost dark round stones, if that makes sense. There is very complex hazelnut as well. It's such a unique and compelling nose. Very precise and very pure and reminds me a cool climate scene.

The palate is stunning with absolutely clear and vivid fruit with incredible freshness. It has amazing texture and St. Aubin richness but is so sleek, so refined and so complex you can't believe it's not the Morgeot. It is off the charts complex. Just enormous complexity and explosive yet nimble and so graceful as it crashes with fresh minerals across your palate. Think Riesling in a Chardonnay style. The fruit complexity has so much pure green apple, apricot and is off the charts and it finishes with huge palate staining minerals and such energy and cut. The roundness is so engaging as a contrast to the minerality. It's dazzlingly pure with amazing inner mouth aromas. This is a wine I'd sell to a JanotBos rookie. The power and concentration matched with the epic purity, fruit, acid and freshness will really turn some heads. It's just awesome and has a finish that pumps and pumps fruit and mineral. It is just a brilliant wine that should be 2-3 times more expensive. Will age and improve for 10-13 years. All my white Burgundy drinkers cannot miss this.

Richard also has some left of the 2019 Domaine Janotsbos Bourgogne Blanc for $29.99 a bottle on a 4-Pack and $27.99 on a case, which the 2014 was our white wine of the year some years back. It is simply a stunning microcosm of why 2019 is awesome and Janotsbos is awesome for an affordable price. If you have not had a Janotsbos wine and want to get a handle on the style, this is the perfect wine and he only has a limited amount left.

It is an unreal Bourgogne Blanc and it's really village level quality in Bourgogne Blanc clothing and it comes from absolutely the Fassiest estate we have for White Burgundy. This is liquid electricity. 

Vineyards 

The fruit in this wine is a blend of vineyards in Meursault (Les Pellons) and Puligny-Montrachet (Champ Perrieres) which is very serious for a Bourgogne Blanc. This wine is what great 2019 White Burgundy is about.

Aromatics

This smells like a high class village wine off the bat. Super mineral and super expressive nose with so much limestone character and big apple and pear fruits. Vivid and pure aromas. Loads of wet stones. It jumps out at you and has more minerality than the periodic table. 

Palate

Incredible clarity of fruit, flavor authority and sappy minerals and tasty present and beguiling acidity along with terrific purity. This acid is no joke. So so bright and tactile. Deep, very concentrated with tremendous village level finesse and sap. Terrific cut and acidity and that intensely friendly drinkable yet classical style that sets 2019 apart. 

Finish

Long winding mineral finish that pitter patters down your palate crackling like an electrical current. Really terrific mouthfeel and almost a sweet tart impression on the palate. Tactile and grippy. Powerful and persistent this has the guts to age 10 more years.

The Estate

Richard Bos of the relatively sleeper Fass Selection estate. Richard is from the Netherlands and still commutes back and forth between the winery in Meursault and his home in the Netherlands where he still has friends and family. Richard's partner is Thierry Janots. Janots was the part time winemaker for a number of years at Comte Lafon. Both have been killing the game since 2005. They don't own their vineyards like many outsiders in Burgundy but have connections to them and visit often and have great relationships with the land owners who they coordinate with to get the grapes the way that they want them.

I've tasted tons of white Burgundies from top producers and I am even more convinced that the JanotsBos wines are in that tier and offer brilliant value to boot. These are top top values as they have the insane depth of the top guys but are not priced like that. 12 years is a small nugget in time for a winery in Burgundy. One second on the Doomsday clock. And in that time they have raised waves. For high quality Burgundy these are a must.

2019 Domaine Janotsbos St Aubin 1er Cru "En Creot" - $49.99 ($191.96 4-Pack) 

2019 Domaine Janotsbos Bourgogne Blanc - $31.99

($119.96 4-Pack, $335.88 12 bottle case {$27.99!})