Who Likes St Aubin?

WINE TALK
41

Other than buy it?

42

Suzanne. I hope so.

43

Although I have not tried the Perrieres yet, I’ve tasted 3 of the PYCM 2015s and am not super excited about the vintage. The wines are fairly simple, low acid and underwhelming. We blind tasted a flight that included a PYCM 2014 en Remilly as a ringer, everyone ranked the 2014 first.

44

Larry - are they fairly simple, low acid and underwhelming as compared to 2014 or would you say this if they were being compared to say the 2011 vintage? If the former, then I guess you will not be purchasing much PYCM St. Aubin going forward.

45

Russ,

Let me be clear, I love the St. Aubin wines from PYCM, overall I have ~300 bottles of PYCM, and ~100 of the bottles are his St. Aubins. Typically the price/performance of the PYCM St. Aubin wines cannot be beat.

My comment/concern was targeted specifically at the 2015 vintage, I think it is underwhelming in the context of other more recent vintages. I have tasted thru a small sample (20 bottles from PYCM, H. Boillot and JM Boillot) and the wines to my palate lack the energy and acidity that I look for in young white burgundy. The 2015s do have an appealing freshness on the positive side, but to my palate they are simple, and show more ripe, sweet tropical fruit aromas and flavors as opposed to the citrusy, higher acid aromas and flavors of prior vintages.

The vintage comparison that comes to mind for 2015 WB is 2005, which to my taste never really shined. The wines were/are sweet, flat and fairly simple for my palate. Hope that helps clarify my comment.

46

Thanks for the clarification Larry. Bummed to hear the 2015 vintage is so poor.

47

I still bought some PYCM SA 2015s, but will not go deep like I did in 2014. If you can find the PYCM 2014s at retail, my suggestion is to buy those instead of 2015. His 2014s are stunning wines, and in general across the board 2014 is a dream vintage for WB.

48

Drinking a 2008 Lamy la Princee tonight and it is in the zone!

49

I’m surprised there isn’t more love for Prudhon here.

50

would have agreed till recently. Some 05 whites have really tightened up and become much better. Speaking in general, not of St. Aubin.

51

The couple I have have been very good, but I don’t see them much.

52

I was able to grab some '14s last year. Not as much as I would have liked, but happy I got what I did.

53

I don’t believe that is what Larry was saying, and I wouldn’t go that far, particularly at this early stage. I expect that there will be plenty of lovely wines, including from St.-Aubin. It seems like a perfect vintage to look for wines from sites that might not otherwise ripen particularly well.

54

Martin,

I agree that it’s early to be making a sweeping call on 2015, but the early results from tastings has me concerned. If the acidity and energy is not in the bottle at this point, it’s not going to develop over time.

For my palate 2015 tastes similar to 05 and 06 young. You’ve probably tasted many more 2015s than me, what’s your early take on the vintage?

55

Not that familiar with St Aubin or vicinity, which vineyards or areas do you believe might avoid the issues with the 2015 wines and not otherwise ripen particularly well?

Thanks in advance.

56

Larry, I agree that if the acidity and energy isn’t there now, it will not be there later, but I have had so few that I really can’t make any generalization regarding the vintage. Also, as much as I like those attributes in the 2014s, I can enjoy a white Burgundy that is fleshy and easy. A 2011 Buisson-Charles Meursault Gouttes d’Or a few nights ago was just that way and absolutely delicious.

Mike, in a vintage with an early reputation such as 2015, I would tend to look for wines from the vineyards with some elevation such as St-Aubin, Saint-Romain, Blagny and the like, and from producers who tend towards a high-toned style such as Jean-Marc Vincent, whose 2014s are damn near electric. I just received his 2015 but haven’t tried them, but I would bet that they are in the zone.

57

I guess a fair question re PYCM St Aubin is whether it’s good value at $45-90 per bottle.

The fact that it’s good wine from an inexpensive appellation doesn’t mean it’s a good deal, if the wines themselves are expensive. If Allemand makes a good Syrah in Languedoc but it costs $150, the fact that it’s good Syrah from Languedoc doesn’t make that a good value.

58

Chris,

Fair question. In the Bay Area the prices for the PYCM St Aubins are in the $40 to $60 range, and at those prices I do think they are a good value. At $90 no, there are better wines at that price point.

You have to like the style, they typically have a flinty, reduced nose, mouth watering acidity balanced by good flavor depth. For $40-$60, I’m a huge fan.

59

I popped one since these posts above and really enjoyed it. You have a lot more PYCM in your cellar so have a larger reference point of relative greatness but I’d say try one and let us know. Started out with a little more flint than I wanted but it subsided and opened up beautifully with air. Really great value at 54/btl imo.