TN: Tasting Jura, pt. 7 (Frédérics Lornet and Puffeney + some random Bdxs)

WINE TALK
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This is a follow-up on our Jura-themed tastings, here are the other six:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

A friend of mine has a small wine importing side business and he is planning on expanding to Jura, so in last September he invited a small bunch of wine nerds over to taste some of the stuff he was planning on representing. We tasted a selection of wines from two Frédérics, Lornet and Puffeney, plus a few wines from a Côtes du Bourg château he is representing.

Frédéric Lornet was one of the first wineries in the 1980’s to go against the trend of traditional, oxidative wines of Jura, instead making all their wines - apart from Vin Jaune and one Savagnin white - very reductively, avoiding any and all oxidative qualities. They use cultured yeasts for their Chardonnays and spontaneous fermentations for their Savagnins and red wines.

For the most part I wasn’t particularly impressed by the wines; it might be the reductive winemaking, but to me, most of the wines had a very sweet, almost candied primary fruit character that really obfuscated any sense of place, making the wines feel like simple cheap wines that could’ve come from anywhere. The only successful wines were the ouillé Savagnin and the Pinot Noir - and even they weren’t ultimately that memorable for Jura wines. I really hope the winery just releases their wines too early and they drop their sweet primary fruit with some bottle age.

Frédéric Puffeney is the nephew of the legendary Jura winemaker Jacques Puffeney. He got into viticulture already in 1995, but to my understanding he has been making wines under his own name only since 2006. After his uncle Jacques retired in 2014, Frédéric has been also farming 2 acres (about half a hectare) of Jacques’s old vineyards as well. Jacques also consults and helps Frédéric run the winery.

While I thought the Puffeney whites were quite lovely ouillé wines, I really didn’t “get” the Puffeney reds. They seemed somewhat awkward, rustic and surprisingly devoid of fruit. They certainly had a lot of stuff going on, but they seemed very savory, earthy and meaty in taste with very little going on. I’ve always thought that fruit is overrated and savory anti-crowdpleasers are up my alley, but I must admit these didn’t really hit the spot. I don’t know if it’s the winery style or something else, but I didn’t find the reds to be at the quality level of the whites.

So all in all, we did taste some very lovely wines, but with the less impressive bottles this selection ultimately left me with a rather lukewarm impression - thus I’m sorry to disappoint any forumites who came here to find great new suggestions! neener

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Here’s the lineup (forgot to take a photo of the Lornet Pinot Noir, so that’s why there’s only 12 of the 13 bottles):

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Pale-to-medium-deep lemon-yellow color. Somewhat restrained and slightly sharp nose with layered aromas of ripe citrus fruits, some waxy tones, a little bit of something smoky, light sweet notes of VA, a hint of Granny Smith apple and a touch of honeyed richness. The wine feels light-bodied but also surprisingly ripe and concentrated for the lousy, rainy 2017 vintage. Quite intense flavors of ripe golden apple and cantaloupe, some sharp saline notes, a little bit of waxy funk, light tangy green apple tones, a hint of tart lemony citrus fruit and a touch of stony minerality. There’s a hint of sweet VA that lifts the fruit up nicely without emphasizing its own presence. The bracing acidity lends great sense of structure and electricity to the wine. The finish is ripe yet very dry, firm and acid-driven with moderately long, mouth-cleansing flavors of lemony citrus fruits, some tart green apple tones, a little bit of tangy salinity, light waxy nuances, a hint of honeydew melon and a touch of nuttiness.

A very balanced, firm and classically built Arbois Chardonnay that is remarkably ripe and vibrant for the difficult 2017 vintage. Most wines I’ve tasted from this vintage have been quite underwhelming and dilute, whereas this wine shows a great deal of vibrant and wonderfully ripe fruit, showing none of those typical qualities of the vintage. Some sources say Frédéric Puffeney makes his wine traditionally, sous voile, but I couldn’t detect any of those notes here and at least this wine drank like a classic ouillé wine without any sharp aldehydic qualities. A terrific wine in its own right and easily one of the best 2017 Jura whites I’ve tasted. Good stuff already now, but will improve with age. (91 pts.)

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  • 2019 Frédéric Lornet Chardonnay Arbois - France, Jura, Arbois (25.9.2021)
    A Chardonnay from three vineyards in Arbois (Brut, Monteiller and Source de Brut). Fermented slowly in stainless steel with inoculated yeast at cool temperatures, aged for 9 to 16 months in old, neutral oak foudres. 13% alcohol.

Pale straw-yellow color. Very primary crowdpleaser nose with candied estery aromas of pear marmalade candies and apple jam, some sweet grapey fruit, light notes of quince and a floral hint of orange blossom. The wine feels very ripe, round and noticeably primary on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full-bodied on the palate with quite linear flavors of pear juice and apple jam, some candied fruit marmalade tones, a little bit of ripe grapey fruit and a hint of incisive steely minerality. Moderately high acidity. The medium-long finish is round, fruity and juicy with acid-driven yet somewhat sweet-toned flavors of apple candies, some pear juice, light peachy notes, a little bit of grapey fruit and a hint of stony minerality.

A very simple, primary and straightforward little white that is dominated by sweet, candied estery flavors. Lacking the pronounced minerality and zippy acidity typical of the region, just coming across as a simple, fruity and somewhat sweet-toned white without much sense of place. I guess with some aging the wine might drop its candied primary qualities and become somewhat more sophisticated and interesting in style, but I doubt no amount of aging will make this wine particularly impressive. A very mediocre effort. (74 pts.)

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Quite intense neon-yellow color. The nose feels somewhat reticent and slightly odd with somewhat formless aromas of something grainy, a little bit of ripe white fruit, light salty notes of sea air and a hint of something plastic. The wine feels firm, medium-bodied and quite acid-driven with slightly odd flavors of ripe white fruits, pronounced saline tang, some weird grainy tones, a little bit of something plastic, light stony mineral tones and a hint of damp old wood. The overall feel is quite balanced, thanks to the high acidity. The finish is long, saline and quite acid-driven with light and slightly dull flavors of salted lemon wedges, some damp old wood tones, a little bit of something plastic-like, light toasty notes of roasted grains and a woolly hint of lanolin.

Tasting this wine after Lornet Arbois Chardonnay 2019, it was like a disappointment after a disappointment. Technically the Arbois Chardonnay was better, yet still this wine was of higher quality with more depth and sense of structure. And that is not saying this was of particularly high quality - the nose was just odd and the taste wasn’t particularly pleasant. There’s something rustic and slightly off with this wine, making me think whether the casks the wine was aged in were fully hygienic? The grainy notes really weren’t similar to mousiness in any way, but instead more bready. Rather weird stuff, I’m not convinced. (78 pts.)

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Pale and very slightly hazy straw-yellow color. Characterful and slightly funky nose with quite distinctive aromas of currywurst, some waxy character, a little bit of sweet Golden Delicious apple and honeydew melon, light nutty tones, a hint of creaminess and a touch of salty sea air. The wine feels quite ripe, moderately broad and surprisingly gentle on the palate with flavors of juicy yellow fruits, some waxy notes, a little bit of curry and other sweet exotic spices, light zesty notes of ripe citrus fruits, a hint of tangy salinity and a touch of creaminess. The acidity is a bit on the round and mellow side, yet still comes across as moderately high, lending good sense of balance to the wine. The finish is broad, moderately ripe and slightly waxy with a quite long aftertaste of juicy white fruits, some waxy tones, a little bit of almond nuttiness, light creamy tones, a hint of spicy red apple and a touch of spicy red apple.

A nice, balanced and very juicy Arbois white from the quite ripe side. There’s a nice undercurrent of waxiness and savory nuttiness without making the wine feel particularly funky or oxidative. I didn’t get any obvious aldehydic notes, so most likely the wine isn’t aged under a voile, but there’s still something very Jurassic to this wine in its saline minerality and sweet curry-driven spicy nuances. Although the wine isn’t particularly crisp or zippy, it shows good sense of balance and I believe it will continue to improve from here for at least a handful of years more. Nice! (90 pts.)

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  • 2018 Frédéric Lornet Arbois Nature - France, Jura, Arbois (25.9.2021)
    Unlike Lornet’s Arbois Savagnin, which is aged sous voile in 228-liter oak pièces, this Savagnin - named after the local name for the variety, Naturé - is ouillé, meaning it is topped up regularly. Aged in old oak foudres and 228-liter oak pièces and bottled as soon as MLF is finished. 13% alcohol.

Intense, crystal-clear yellow-green color. Sweet-toned, very fruit-forward and even slightly candied nose with lush aromas of ripe pear, some sour apple candies, light waxy notes, a little bit of ripe white peach, a hint of creamy oak and a touch of pear drops. The wine feels ripe, clean and somewhat primary on the palate with a moderately full body and slightly sweet-toned flavors of juicy white peach and golden apples, some stony mineral notes, light candied notes of pear drops and fruity rock candies and a hint of creamy oak. The acidity feels quite high and nicely in balance with the rather full body. The finish is long, ripe and slightly crisp with quite dry and acid-driven flavors of juicy lemony tones, some incisive steely minerality, a little bit of pear drops and rock candies, light primary nuances of grapey fruit, a hint of tangy salinity and a touch of something waxy.

This Savagnin was much better than the Lornet Chardonnays we tasted (Arbois 2019 and Charles Rouget 2018), but still this isn’t a particularly memorable or interesting an effort for a Jura white. Especially the candied primary fruit character - that made the Arbois Chardonnay feel very simple and anonymous - does bother a little bit here as well, but fortunately not as much. Overall this wine feels brighter, more balanced and structured than the Lornet Chardonnays, but ultimately doesn’t really leave a lasting impression. I hope extended cellaring would make the wine drop its sweet, candied primary fruit tones and make it turn into something more balanced and interesting. For current consumption the wine offers quite little. (87 pts.)

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  • 2019 Frédéric Lornet Ploussard Côtes du Jura Charles Rouget - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (25.9.2021)
    A Poulsard from two vineyards in Arbois (En Brut and Monteiller). Fermented slowly in stainless steel with inoculated yeast at cool temperatures, then pressed into old oak foudres, in which the wine is aged for 9 to 12 months. 12,5% alcohol.

Pale, fully translucent strawberry red color with a slightly russet pomegranate hue and a colorless rim. This looks more like a dark rosé than a pale red wine. At first the nose shows a tiny bit of flatulent reduction, but it fortunately blows off quite quickly, revealing aromas of brambly black raspberries, some earth, light cherry tones, a little bit of sweet, marmaladey red fruit and a touch of flint smoke. The wine is lively, crunchy and youthful on the palate with a light body and fresh, clean and slightly primary flavors of brambly raspberries and crunchy redcurrants, some sweeter wild strawberry notes, a little bit of stony minerality and a stuffy hint of reductive smoke. The acidity feels high, whereas the tannins are very gentle and almost nonexistent, as is expected from a Poulsard. The finish is clean, ripe and quite crunchy with fresh, medium-long flavors of red currants and wild strawberries, some candied primary notes of raspberry marmalade, light stony mineral tones, a little bit of savory spice and a hint of earth.

A very nice, fresh and tasty little Poulsard. Perhaps a bit too primary still, so I’d say this wine will show its best after another year or two. This is never going to be a grand vin, but Poulsard virtually never is, so it’s better to set one’s expectations at a realistic level. Overall the wine is wonderfully clean, fresh and balanced, making it feel like a missing link between a red wine and a rosé. It’s a perfect weekday wine that drinks wonderfully on its own, but can be paired with more delicate dishes that could call for a white wine, like different veggie dishes or seafood. Fun stuff. (88 pts.)

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Very dark black cherry color that permits only very little light through. Quite wild, feral and even slightly skunky nose with rather gamey aromas of earth, bloody meat and gamey sausage, some ripe dark fruits, light peaty notes, a little bit of savory wood spice, a hint of smoky phenolic character and a touch of fur. The wine feels surprisingly ripe and juicy on the palate, but with quite feral, savory and non-fruity flavors of gamey meat and bacon, some ripe black raspberries and cherries, light ferrous notes of blood, a little bit of peppery spice, phenolic hints of smoke and leather and a lifted touch of VA. The structure relies more on the high acidity than on the light and easy medium-minus tannins. The finish is quite long, moderately warm and very savory with rather feral flavors of bloody game, some black raspberry, light cherry tones, a little bit of meaty umami, a hint of earth and a touch of old leather. The tannins make the wine end on a gently grippy note, while the high alcohol lends some obvious heat towards the end of the aftertaste.

Well, this is definitely a characterful red from the more rustic end, but even if I’m a fan of rustic, non-fruity old-school wines, even I had some trouble with this wine. First of all, if 2017 was a lousy, cool and rainy vintage in Jura, how on earth is this wine so super-ripe and clocking in at 14,5% alcohol? Secondly, where all the fruit is? The wine is quite rich in taste, but when it’s mainly just gamey tones, earth and savory spices, it really takes away quite a bit of freshness. And the high alcohol doesn’t really help. While I normally like Trousseau wines very much, this didn’t really leave a lasting impression. And I doubt any amount of aging will make more fruit magically appear in the wine. (79 pts.)

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Luminous, quite pale and very translucent ruby red color with an almost colorless rim. Clean, youthful and noticeably primary nose with candied aromas of Bassett’s black wine gums, some ripe black cherries, a little bit of strawberry jam and a reductive, rubbery hint of swimming pool toy. The wine is youthful, round and juicy on the palate with a medium body and primary, dry-ish flavors of ripe black raspberries and strawberries, some black cherries, a little bit of earthy spice, light candied notes of black Bassett’s wine gums and a reductive hint of rubber. The overall impression is quite soft, thanks to the mellow medium-plus acidity and light, easy tannins. The finish is youthful, juicy and slightly sweet-toned with flavors of ripe cherries, some raspberry marmalade, light strawberry jam tones, a little bit of black wine gum, a hint of earthy spice and a touch of stony minerality. The light tannins lend a slightest grippy touch to the end of the aftertaste.

A pleasant but also too soft, round and primary Trousseau. Definitely calls for more age, as now the flavor profile is very much dominated by the candied primary flavors reminiscent of Bassett’s black wine gums. However, even if the wine drops its sweet-toned primary flavors as it gains age, it won’t lose its softness and round overall feel due to its quite modest acidity. While the wine will probably pick up some points as it ages, I doubt it will ever be anything particularly interesting. (81 pts.)

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  • 2020 Frédéric Lornet Pinot Noir Arbois - France, Jura, Arbois (25.9.2021)
    A Pinot Noir from lieu-dit En Brut. Fermented slowly in stainless steel with inoculated yeast at cool temperatures, aged for 12 months in old, neutral oak barrels.

Luminous, fully translucent ruby-red color with a youthful blueish hue. The nose feels dry, somewhat restrained and slightly earthy, giving surprisingly little. Vague aromas of fresh cherries, a little bit of sweet raspberry marmalade and a hint of sappy greenness. The wine feels lively, medium-bodied and quite acid-driven on the palate with reticent flavors of fresh raspberries and crunchy redcurrants, some ripe red cherries, light meaty tones, a little bit of earth, a hint of gravelly minerality and a touch of sour cherry bitterness. The overall feel is pleasantly structured, thanks to the high acidity and moderately grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is dry, medium-to-moderately long and slightly grippy with flavors of tart lingonberries and cranberries, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of ripe redcurrant, light earthy notes and a hint of gravelly minerality.

A nice, clean and pleasantly structure-driven Pinot Noir, although not particularly expressive in the Pinosity side of things. Despite its young age, the wine doesn’t come across as primary, candied and sweet as the other young Lornet wines, but is instead clean, pure and fresh in fruit. I guess the wine is just a bit reductive and thus still quite closed in style, so even though the wine doesn’t really give that much right now, I can imagine it can open up into something much more enjoyable with a few years of additional aging. Nothing particularly memorable right now, but shows good promise. (86 pts.)

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  • 2017 Frédéric Puffeney Arbois Rouge Vieilles Vignes - France, Jura, Arbois (25.9.2021)
    A blend of Pinot Noir, Trousseau and Poulsard from old, interplanted vineyards. Macerated for approximately 3 weeks with the skins, aged for 12 months in oak barrels. 13% alcohol.

Quite dark, slightly hazy and only relatively little translucent blackish-red color. Quite savory nose with a bit feral aromas of brambly blackberries and chokeberries, some old wood tones, a little bit of gamey meat, light funky nuances, a hint of tomato paste and a phenolic touch of smoke. The wine feels ripe and quite dense yet fully dry on the palate with a medium body and savory flavors of dark forest fruits and black raspberries, some meaty notes of umami, a little bit of leather, light meat stew notes of cooked herbs, a phenolic hint of smoke and a touch of olive. The overall feel is quite firm and sinewy, thanks to the moderately high acidity and textural yet rather gentle medium tannins. The finish is dry, savory and slightly grippy with a somewhat reticent, medium-long aftertaste of fresh, brambly raspberries, gamey meat, some smoky phenolic notes, a little bit of ripe dark fruits, light olive notes and a hint of old leather. Especially the gamey tones and hints of olive seem to grow in intensity towards the end of the aftertaste.

A characterful and distinctive Jura red that is really an antithesis of a crowdpleaser wine. The wine shows surprising ripeness for a 2017 Jura wine, but there still isn’t much in the way of fruit. Instead the wine feels very meaty and savory with pronounced notes of game, smoke and olive. Although I do like savory, characterful reds, at times it feels this wine could actually use a bit more fruit. It’s hard to say whether the wine was only closed at the moment and will open up with further aging or if this was just it - the wine won’t really improve anywhere from here. In its own way this was an enjoyable, fascinating and quite singular wine, but due to its savory rusticity I must say this still wasn’t really a great wine - and it is reflected in the score. This is a good wine in its own way, but one not easily paired with anything - what it really could use is something that would tone down its savory / gamey tones and boost up its fruit a little bit. (85 pts.)

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  • 2019 Vignobles Bossuet-Hubert Les Vacances de Monsieur Merlot - France, Vin de France (25.9.2021)
    100% biodynamically farmed Merlot from Côtes de Bourg. Macerated for only a brief period of time, fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. Bottled in the spring following the harvest. Bottled with minimum sulfites (25 mg/l). 14% alcohol.

Dark yet moderately translucent garnet color. Quite fruity and fragrant nose with sweetish aromas of black cherries and juicy dark plums, some blueberry tones, a little bit of blackberry, light wild strawberry notes and a sweet hint of volatile lift. The wine is dry, firm and medium-bodied on the palate with bright flavors of wild strawberries and crunchy redcurrants, some meaty umami, light gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of sour red plums, a stemmy hint of something woody and a touch of something vaguely plastic or thinner-like. Good, structured overall feel, thanks to the high acidity and pleasantly grippy medium tannins. The high alcohol shows a little. The finish is dry, somewhat grippy and moderately long with savory flavors of crunchy redcurrants and sour red plums, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of meaty umami, light gravelly mineral tones and a subtle hint of something vaguely plastic.

A surprisingly well-made and sophisticated Merlot. Perhaps a bit all over the place, but has a surprisingly serious and pleasantly structure-driven overall feel. Probably could use a few years down in a cellar, as those slightly distracting plastic notes might be something related to reduction, which might disappear with some age. The wine seems to soften up a bit as it opens and warms up in the glass, but never becomes a sweet and soft fruit-bomb Merlot. A terrific effort for such a modest entry-level bottling; a perfect candidate for a house wine. Superb value at 11€. (89 pts.)

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  • 2019 Château la Grolet Origines - France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg (25.9.2021)
    A blend of biodynamically farmed Merlot (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (15%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Malbec (5%). Fermented spontaneously, aged in concrete tanks. Bottled unfined with limited use of SO2 (40 mg/l). 13,5% alcohol.

Luminous, deep and somewhat blackish ruby-red color. Dark-toned and somewhat restrained nose of black cherries, some ripe blackcurrants, light blueberry tones and a little bit of blueberry. The wine feels dry, silky and a bit mellow on the palate with flavors of ripe forest fruits, some juicy blackcurrants, light gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of fresh red plum and a hint of earth. The overall feel is youthful, somewhat reticent and a bit soft, the latter thanks to the medium acidity and quite ample but also very ripe and textural tannins that just brush your gums without any noticeable grip. The finish is dry, somewhat restrained and very gently grippy with medium-long flavors of fresh forest fruits, some gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of crunchy crowberry, light earthy notes, a hint of black cherry and a touch of dried herbs.

A pleasant but also a somewhat restrained and quite linear Bordeaux without much sense of focus. This is not a bad wine in any way, it just doesn’t seem to offer much. I enjoy the purity of fruit here and the lack of obfuscating oak, but unfortunately the fruit department feels rather linear and lacking in depth and intensity, whereas the structure comes across as pretty soft and mellow, making the wine feel a bit lackluster. Although not a crowdpleaser, this is not that firm, savory and complex Bordeaux I wanted it to be. An A for the effort isn’t enough for a good score this time. Priced according to its quality at 14€. (85 pts.)

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  • 2018 Château la Grolet Tête de Cuvée - France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg (25.9.2021)
    A blend of biodynamically farmed old-vine (average age 55 years) Merlot (85%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) and Malbec (5%). Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, macerated with the skins for two weeks after the fermentation. Aged for a year in oak barriques (100% new oak), of which the best ones are selected for this bottling. 14% alcohol.

Dense, fully opaque blackish-red color with a youthful, purplish hue. Very powerful and ridiculously oak-driven nose with bold aromas of mocha oak, some resinous tones, light woody nuances, a little bit of cocoa powder, a sweet hint of blackcurrant marmalade, a touch of chocolate dressing and a whiff of minty greenness. Quite a blockbuster. The wine feels ripe, round and mellow on the palate with a rather full body and heavily oak-driven flavors of toasty wood and mocha oak, some blackcurrant marmalade, light minty herbal tones, a little bit of coniferous forest, a hint of sweet dark plum and a touch of cacao nibs. The structure relies mostly on the firm, quite extracted and moderately grippy tannins than on the soft medium-minus acidity. The finish is is powerful, quite warm and noticeably grippy with a long and very heavily oaked aftertaste of mocha oak and mint chocolate, some caramel tones, a little bit of overripe dark plums, light blackcurrant marmalade tones, a hint of black cherry and a vaguely metallic touch that reminds me of baking soda.

A huge blockbuster of a wine that is dripping with heavily extracted new oak. This wine really calls for a lot less oak and a lot more acidity. I enjoy the firm tannic grip here, but it’s hard - almost impossible - to make out anything of the fruit department, as the wine just tastes of wood, caramel, mint chocolate and cocoa. Really monolithic stuff. Feels like a poorly made new world prestige Cabernet. Waste of money at 19€. Avoid. (78 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Glad I wasn’t invited to this tasting [wink.gif]

However, as always- very detailed and informative notes.

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I remember tasting Lornet in 2008 …
The Trousseau des Dames 2005 twice appeared very weak/disappointing.

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No Octavin?? :slight_smile:

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I’m deeply grateful for every Jura tasting in which no bottles of Octavin are opened! [wink.gif]

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Always informative tasting notes, thanks !

quick question : did you have any experience with white wines from Domaine de la Tournelle ?

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Sorry, no. Only with one red, which wasn’t particularly impressive - but then again, it was 2017.

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I have not tasted a lot. But they can be decent (the whites).

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My last recent expériences :
Domaine de la Tournelle Arbois Cul du Brey 2020 : 14,5/20 – 26/3/2022
Poulsard, petit béclan, syrah. Simple, light, with grenade tastes.

Domaine de la Tournelle Arbois l’uva arbosiana Poulsard 2020 : 13/20 – 24/3/2022
Very “Nature”, volatile (raspberry vinegar). Light and short, not much to say.

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Great notes. A friend of mine recently brought some Frédéric Puffeney wines from France to try. I was not super impressed, but they weren’t bad. I sort of agree regarding the Frédéric Lornet wines. They have great vineyard holdings in Montigny-les-Arsures, which is really good terroir for especially Trousseau, but also Savagnin and Chardonnay. Their Vin Jaune is ok and it’s relatively inexpensive for Vin Jaune. But I’ve never had any other wine from them (I drank some by the glass in restaurants in the Jura and also bought a few bottles quite a few years ago) that really left a lasting impression. I would not go as low as mid-70 points, but I never felt a need to buy more for my cellar.

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This might be attributed to my preference to use the full 50-100 pts scale (as opposed to the 90-100 or 85-100 scales people seem to use nowadays). In my books +85 pts wines are something I’d happily buy for myself; 80-85 pts. are good wines, but not really stuff I’d buy for myself; 75-79 wines are drinkable but rather unmemorable everyday wines, basically stuff you’d see in sub-$10 market wines and 70-74 wines are pretty much the same kind of stuff, but not that well made. Only when you go to sub-70 wines I think there might be something wrong in the winemaking, viticulture or the wine is somewhat off-balance and sub-60 wines are pretty much undrinkable.

From what I’ve seen, most people score wines so that 85-90 wines are basic, uninteresting market wines and sub-85 pointers are undrinkable. I guess if you’ve accustomed to that kind of scoring, mid-70’s might look quite bad. :smiley:

But in all honesty, the Lornet whites didn’t leave a particularly positive impression. The basic Chardonnay drank like a $7 supermarket Chardonnay, not a Jura white, and while the Charles Rouget label was much better and more interesting in comparison, the odd, atypical notes took a big toll on the score, bringing it down to below 80.