Fresh, tense, and intriguing Savagnin from Jura, France. The color is a slightly hazy medium gold. Was pretty linear at first with aromas of apples and confit lemons before showing more tropical fruit with notes of mango, grapefruit, and pineapple. Crisp acidity on the palate balanced out nicely with some fullness. Lemon, pineapple, minerals, and a hint of salt. Medium length finish.
This was my first encounter with one of Fabien Henriot’s wines and it was definitely a fun Savagnin. Far from anything I would have expected. I’m looking forward to trying his other Jura cuvées in the future.
This Savagnin is Fabien’s cuve version and was aged in dame-jeanne for two years I believe. He only produced 44 bottles of this micro-cuvée.
Formerly a Pouilly-Fumé, now a Vin de France. I don’t know if he opted out or was excluded, but it certainly doesn’t taste like a P-F!
On the nose, vibrant aromas of apricot, honey and yellow peach, then quite a rich attack of the same fruits, before a much drier wave of lemon, and a slightly oxidative finish. Not really for me.
Very much an acquired taste, his wines, of which I’ve tasted four in the last few months, always flirt with oxidised flavours, and two of the bottles tried were too oxidised to enjoy at all. I liked the energy and originality but could have done with more freshness.
I know he has his fans - each to their own!
It’s certainly an either or with his wines. Some bottles are on and some are off, but one thing that is a constant is the very ripe, late picked fruits with some oxy. I like 'em but never to the point where I wanted to stock up.
2020 Domaine Nicolas Faure Nuits St. Georges Les Herbues - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges (2/10/2026)
Nice nose of dark fruit, herbs, a just a hint of green stems. The palate is a bit plummy, but the texture is so sleek and silky, which finishes with just a hint of charcoal. Nice acidity and lift, and well-judged use of whole clusters. Really well done and enjoyable.
2018 Jean-François Ganevat Trousseau Plein Sud - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (2/10/2026)
Bright, but almost pinkish robe in the glass. Beautifully floral on the nose with aromas of crushed wild strawberries. The palate is also joyous crunchy red fruit girded with just enough VA and acidity to provide liveliness to the palate, but not over-the-top funk. Really a peak natty, glou-glou red in all the best ways.
2017 Daniel Bouland Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Mélanie - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Côte de Brouilly (2/10/2026)
I'm not normally the biggest Daniel Bouland fan, but this tasted pretty correct and lively. Fruit was a bit dark, but nicely crunchy with just a hint of green and sous bois to lend some complexity to the palate. Pretty good. From Jeroboam.
Old plot tended to by Xavier Caillard, but recently acquired by a japanese investor group, consulted by Hirotake Ooka. Have some knowledge of the cuvees by now and the wines are great, but stupidly difficult to get by.
Deep ruby color with a good clarity, with a ever sooo slight bricking hue around the edges. The nose is very strong ripe cherry, leather, sous bois and a bit of tobacco. Here’s also a sweet or candied berry component which was also present in the other Ko-Ki cuvée I tried. The wine is dominated by dark fruit, pencil shavings and just a tiny amount of pyrazines compared to the likes of Lenoir. The acidity is a little downplayed and I would say that it’s just entered its drinking window and will stay there some 7 years. Beautiful effort. QPR to the auction prices is doubtful. Paid 60€ for this and drinking well for that price.
I think that is one of the barrels left over from Caillard’s time (and the reason for the €€€).
Pretty sure 2018 was the transition over to the new owner’s/team.
Not sure it’s supposed to be possible but this wine clocking in at 15.5%, is drinking very well. Had a previous bottle that was a bit tired, this not. Complex, crunchable and I guess an intoxication warning label has never been more relevant.
2019 Strohmeier Weiss No. 10 (70% pinot blanc / 30% chard) for the NYC blizzard
First time trying this producer and I was pleasantly surprised. Very pretty nose, good mix of savory and sweet, sort of a preserved lemon vibe. Acid still very vibrant, missing a bit of structure for me in the midpalate but ends on a pleasantly bitter black sesame note. A little bit of mouse after 6 or so hours but we were on our last glass by then. Drinking well now, doubtful it will improve with further aging.
I’ve tried a few of these Dancers and can’t get into them. 11.5% but tastes riper, very clean light mineral style, just a little leesy. Just can’t get into it.
2022 Marc Soyard Pommard Tercet This is a great wine from a tiny .15 hectare parcel that was simply delicious. Interestingly it really did not change over two hours so I wonder how a wine made in this sem-carbo, steel fermented style will age. At $150 retail I would want to be able to keep this for several years and see some meaningful evolution. I will admit that it was absolutely enjoyable from the get go. I am really loving the Soyard wines.
