Anyone try these out of bottle? They are getting hyped pretty hard but there seems to be alot of “wood” and “oak” in the barrel tasting notes.
Never heard of him. Who is he and who’s hyping him?
Email I got (No affliiation):
THE NEXT JAYER? Olivier Bernstein’s Awesome Debut BurgundiesThursday, December 10, 2009 10:35 AM
From: “stefan@bpwine.com” <stefan@bpwine.com>Add sender to ContactsTo: qweniden@yahoo.comHaving trouble viewing this email? Click here
“Silky smooth, caressing, velvety, pure, feminine…these are all adjectives that are appropriate with Bernstein’s wines…” – Neil Martin of The Wine Advocate
Burgundy Buzzes about Bernstein!
Twelve months ago this week I was traveling and tasting wine in Burgundy with well known baseball player, wine lover and humanitarian Rusty Staub. We were stunned at how beautiful the 2007 vintage was tasting out of barrel and were ready to proclaim the vintage delicious and ready to drink immediately. One of our tasting stops was with a gentleman named Olivier Bernstein (that’s me, Greg, in the cellar with him, second on left). He was unknown to us but highly recommended by our friend and renowned Burgundy expert Becky Wasserman. This was his first vintage and he was producing only Grand and Premier Crus! The wines were incredible! Olivier Bernstein? Who was this guy? We would all find out very soon.
Flash forward one year almost to the exact day and the BUZZ is growing big time. Burghound says “As to the wines, there is frankly something vaguely Jayer-like to them” and Neil Martin of The Wine Advocate says “Silky smooth, caressing, velvety, pure, feminine…these are all adjectives that are appropriate with Bernstein’s wines and although the 100% new oak is prominent, it does not intrude and should melt into the fabric of the wine given 5-7 years cellaring (although the fruit is so pure they are difficult to resist now.) There are obviously no compromises made here, right down to the fact that his range of wines focus solely upon Premier and Grand Crus.”
Olivier Bernstein liked us as much as we loved his wines, so much so that we are now his CA distributor! Whether the wines are for your pure drinking pleasure or for the chance to have the inaugural vintage from the man some call the next Jayer, don’t miss this opportunity! Quantities are extremely limited! Arrives Feb.
These micro-production crus (800 cases total, with 10 wines) are highly allocated to high-end restaurants (the sommeliers are already calling), so get a few cases of the DEBUT vintage. This will also secure your position for the beautiful 2008 vintage, and 2009, which is considered by many as easily the vintage of the decade. Plus, it will put you first in line for the other mind-blowing Grand Crus forthcoming, including Chambertin Clos de Beze, Clos de Vougeot and Corton Charlemagne!!
Here is the world-class lineup. A must for the serious Burgundy collector and the best prices in the country! Detailed tasting notes are included below.
Grand Cru Red Burgundy (list price is $300 on these!)
Olivier Bernstein Clos de la Roche $249
Neil Martin of The Wine Advocate (winejournal): “An expressive, generous nose with a slight savoury, meaty nose, good definition, a bouquet that draws you in. The palate is well balanced with firm, chunky tannins that will mellow with time. Good acidity, a touch of orange zest inflecting the joyful red-berried fruit, then a fleshy peacocks tail of raspberry coulis and strawberry on the finish. Very good length. This will need a little time, but it will be worth the wait.” 587 btls. (93 Points)
Olivier Bernstein Bonnes Mares $249
Burghound: "Generous wood sits atop earthy, brooding and reluctant blue and dark berry fruit aromas that slide gracefully into fresh, intense and formidably scaled flavors that possess a chewy but not aggressive texture where the buried tannins add focus on the seriously powerful and lengthy finish. This explosive finish is toasty but impressive all the same and kudos to the sheer amount of extract here. Save for the Mazis, the Bonnes Mares has the best material in the range and as such, should be capable of eventually integrating the considerable wood.” 593 bottles produced. (91-94 Points)
Olivier Bernstein Charmes Chambertin $249
Burghound: "A background touch of wood influence does not unduly distract from the otherwise complex, layered and pretty earthy red and dark berry fruit aromas that are followed by full-bodied, serious and firmly structured flavors that possess both excellent volume and plenty of energy on the textured, sappy and overtly woody finish that is laudably persistent. This is a big Charmes and will require at least a decade to be at its best, perhaps a year or two longer.” 887 btls produced. (91-93 Points)
Olivier Bernstein Mazis-Chambertin $249!
Burghound: “Ample wood surrounds the red berry and spiced plum aromas that are nuanced by earth, sauvage and underbrush notes, all of which are reflected on the hugely concentrated, serious and focused broad-scaled flavors that positively ooze extract which renders the firm tannic backbone almost invisible, all wrapped in a finish that delivers tremendous length and really stains the palate. Potentially one of the top grands crus of the vintage.” (92-95 points)
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, March/April 2009, Issue #143 ($300; from vines in excess of 80 years old, according to Bernstein) "Good deep red. Wild, explosive aromas of raspberry, minerals and smoked meat. Large-scaled and sappy, with brisk minerality lifting pure red cherry and raspberry fruit flavors. A dense, penetrating essence of fruit, with terrific definition and energy. Finishes with firm but suave tannins and considerable power.” (92-94 points)
Greg Gregory (G SQUARED on Cellartracker): 12/1/2008 - Tasted at the Domaine with Olivier. “This wine is from 80 yr old vines. It shows. Tons of depth. If it’s possible to have firm AND round tannins this wine does it. This is top notch Grand Cru and to think it’s his first vintage is really unbelievable.” 591 bottles produced. (94-96 points)
Premier Cru Red Burgundy, extremely well-priced
Olivier Bernstein Chambolle Musigny “les Lavrottes” $109 steal!
Burghound: “A moderately toasty nose frames ripe and very fresh dark berry fruit aromas that complement the dense, serious and sappy flavors that carry good if not truly special complexity onto the noticeably oaky finish. I like the mid-palate concentration and there is enough sap to buffer well the underlying structure.” (88-90 Points)
Olivier Bernstein Vosne Romanee “les Suchots” $135
Neil Martin of The Wine Advocate (winejournal): “A very elegant, feminine nose, well defined with wild strawberry, red cherry, a touch of rose petals and a touch of cedar from the well-integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied, very silky with superb weight for a 2007. Harmonious, bold tannins, very good backbone here but married with Suchots fleshy, corpulent mouthfeel. Caressing the palate, leading to a linear finish. Very fine.” 893 bottles produced. (92 Points)
Olivier Bernstein Gevrey Chambertin “les Champeauxs” $135
Burghound: "Mild wood spice sets off very fresh and pungently earthy aromas of red, blue and black pinot fruit merge into beautifully detailed, solidly rich and delicious flavors blessed with ample dry extract on the powerful, textured and sappy finish. The old vines are very much in evidence here and this is impressive enough to be worth a look.” 1177 btls. (88-92 Points)
Olivier Bernstein Gevrey Chambertin “les Cazetiers” $140
Burghound: “Here there is a step up in aromatic complexity with more subtle wood spice adding nuance to the dark fruit, game, smoke and warm earth notes that are also picked up by the rich, full-bodied and well-muscled flavors that exude an underlying minerality and plenty of extract on the moderately austere but explosive finish. The toast comes up on the finish as well but the amount of dry extract here is admirable." 881 bottles produced. (90-93 Pts) Comments:Outstanding
Premier Cru White Burgundy- fabulous wines!
Olivier Bernstein Puligny-Montrachet “Champgain” $125
Neil Martin of The Wine Advocate (winejournal): “A more “tempered” nose after the Meursault Charmes, ripe apples, a hint of roasted walnut and smoke, Nice terroir coming through. The palate is well-balanced, just a little ginger on the entry, that nutty, almost Meursault-like element coming through on the back-palate, leading to a rounded, slightly honeyed, caressing finish. Very fine. 585 bottles produced. (90 Points) Drink now – 2012+
Olivier Bernstein Meursault “les Charmes” $125 WA92 only 587 bottles made!
Neil Martin of The Wine Advocate (winejournal): “This has a very floral, quite flamboyant nose, ripe apricots, crème fraiche, white flowers, rose petals and a touch of lemongrass. Very distinctive. The palate is very well balanced, a little understated on the entry but building towards the spicy, almost Roussillon-like mid-palate with hints of lanolin and dried orange zest. The texture is slightly viscous and spins those sensory dials. I just adore this Meursault! Bon vin!” Just 587 bottles produced. Drink now-2012+." (92 Points)
Want to read more? Click on this link and scroll down to see what the Burgoholic had to say! http://www.burgoholic.com/home/3?highlight=bernstein#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;[217]
Check out Bruce Sanderson of the Wine Spectator as he visits and talks to Olivier. Red Tuesday" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Once again, we are thrilled to offer these ultra-rare wines. Please let us know what we can do for you! —Greg
i dont get the price. just cause he gets expensive grapes and produces small lots it can instantly command high prices? isnt that same affliction napa cabs have had?
the notes sound good but not at that price!!
Fist time out of the blocks for a $250 pinot? Easy pass.
Chris
No shit.
My thoughts exactly. With this hype they are setting expectations pretty high. Might come back to bite them in the ass
I assume these are all negociant wines since it would not be possible for a new producer in Burgundy to amass those kind of holdings for a first vintage unless it’s just a renamed existing domaine (if so, which one?). So, the next question is whether he is farming, buying grapes, or buying wine. If all he’s doing is the last he wouldn’t be the first producer to take regular wine and trick the critics into thinking it’s something special by putting it in 100% new oak (see, e.g., Le Moine). And I’m not sure where the Jayer comparison can come from since the terroirs are totally different. Still, if Becky W., Meadows, and G-Squared are all enthusiastic, I’m definitely curious, but I wouldn’t pay these prices for any producer’s 2007s.
Are you talking about this?:
2009, which is considered by many as easily the vintage of the decade.
Annoying huh? So wasnt 2005 supposed to be the vintage of the century? So the cultification of producers and enormously high prices were for a vintage that isnt even going to be the vintage of the decade?
From Burghound:
"…Bernstein attended the Lycée Viticole in Beaune and did a brief stage (internship) with the world famous Henri Jayer, also in 2002. His intention is to work only with premiers and grands crus where the vines are very old. Bernstein harvests the fruit himself, does the vinification at his winery in Gevrey-Chambertin and the élevage takes place in 100% new barrels that he has specifically crafted to his specifications from the Bercay forest. The unfiltered and unfined wines will then be bottled by hand. …As to the wines, there is frankly something vaguely Jayer-like to them in that they are noticeably oaky but they are also well made with excellent underlying material.
I have reflected my enthusiasm for the raw materials in the scores but I offer two admonitions: one is that there is no track record here to base aging windows on so what you have is more an intuitive estimate based on the structure than based on actual experience; and two, I am making an assumption that the material is good enough to eventually absorb the considerable oak influence…[snip]"
Yawn. I’ll stick with David Clark for now,being an admirer of the notion of getting the basics right first.
Pricey!
I’ve tried Bernstein’s 2007 Chambolle-Musigny Les Lavrottes, Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers, Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champeaux and Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots, all out of bottles. I posted on them in mid-July this year. If you want to read my notes on them, you may click on this.
Shit… this was supposed to be a secret… his stuff is gooooood…
Thanks for the notes!
I actually tasted these wines out of barrel last year in July. Some were good, nothing earth shaking. I didn’t find the wines over oaked, but there were still 6 months away from bottle. I would NOT use the words Henri Jayer and Olivier Bernstein in the same sentence, that’s super bold.
The wines of Lucien Le Moine are much better if you are looking for the next Burgundy hit parade and want to spend this kind of scratch.
If that is the criteria does that mean Dom. Laurent is Jayer-like? ![[stirthepothal.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f40faec63ca1018898a40805efbf9f0066a3d205.gif "[stirthepothal.gif]"){kind=small}
Wasnt Henri Jayer’s last vintage 2001?
Spoilsport!
Somebody had to do it 