Bob McDonald

9.1

Grapefruit and plenty of mineral on both nose and palate. Some austerity as you often get with Saint Aubin. As Jasper Morris MW describes the terroir - “A steep south west facing vineyard overlooking the hamlet of Gamay. It offers attractive wines but not in the First Division of St-Aubin.” The following night notes of mandarin on the palate with the ever present mineral. — a month ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Time to open one of these 2017’s.

This very pleasant. Nicely Rounded out with 7 yrs or so in bottle.

The mouthfeel shows nice viscosity. It is round & a little waxy. Shows beautiful honeysuckle notes, golden apple, Meyer lemon, light lime juice, not quite pineapple syrup, green apple is late to the party, pink grapefruit w/ a light sprinkle of sugar, mango, some green melon, marmalade fruits quality-orange peel, yellow peaches, dryish apricots, warm caramel, dry chalk-limestone powder, fine grain, grey volcanic minerals, saline, soft flintiness, hints of white pepper, sea fossils, light saline, warm, well done toast, white flowered, yellow lilies, excellent acidity with a round, lush, well balanced, elegant finish that lasts two-minutes and lands on beautiful minerals.

Really excellent with the Jasper Hill Farms Champagne Washed Harbison. Limited release. Might be the best pair w/ this cheese to date. — 6 months ago

Matt Keating

9.0

So great with Jasper Hills Whitney!! — 7 months ago

Ian Hamel

9.1

2024/8/27. Merlin’s Cras is known (or at least noted by Jasper Morris) as being long-lived, and I’ve enjoyed bottles at 10 years. (I’d like to try older vintages…) But this is lovely now as well - perhaps it’s the vintage, but there’s a focus reminiscent of Chablis paired with Southern richness. Cool lemon, stone and custard on the nose, acid, mineral and fruity body in balance on the palate. — 2 years ago

Erin Tompkins

8.9

Slightly sweet without being cloying at all. Enjoyable on a hot day with dinner. From Juan Jasper $35 — 3 years ago

John Tan

8.9

Boxing Day 2022 at OKH. Good balance of body and acidity.

100% old-vine Aligoté. The main plot in Corgoloin’s Le Clou was planted in 1934, and other older plots are included, with the oldest being one planted in 1902 in Magny-lès-Villers. Vinified and bottled completely without addition of sulphur.
“A pale lemon yellow, but more important is the heavenly bouquet, apples, lemon zest, evidently significant dry extract, fills the mouth, adequate acidity, and very persistent. An Aligoté of impeccable character.” Jasper Morris, MW — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Similar notes from April 2020 when I last had it. A red fruited nose giving a lovely earthy perfume with Sous Bois influences. Loam, compost heap nose. Same red fruits on the medium weight palate with strawberry and a touch of raspberry. As Jasper Morris said in his book, Lavaux St Jacques is one of the cooler sites in Gevrey Chambertin. This is always the last Rousseau wine to be picked and enjoying a longer hang time. After a couple of hours, just a gorgeous nose. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.0

This is hard to beat at $25.

White cheese starter.

Copying over & updating earlier notes...

The nose reveals; waxy, sweet & sour lemons, the light, good/softer aspects of lemon pledge, lime zest, green & golden apple, overripe pineapple, honeysuckle, apricots, white peach, orange rind, grapefruit w/ pith, tree bark, flintiness, notes of roasted caramel, vanillin, beautifully, elegant, grey volcanics, salty, powdery, even slightly floral chalkiness, white to lightly brown spices, sea spray, oyster notes, limestone/sandstone, fruit blossoms, yellow lilies framed in a field of spring flowers.

The body is thick, rich, lush and nicely rounded. If you like viscosity, no issues here. It guides over the palate presenting no mouth arguments. Waxy, sweet & sour lemons, the light, good/softer notes of lemon pledge, green & some golden apple with skin, lime zest, overripe pineapple, honeysuckle, apricots, white peach, orange rind, tropicals green melon, tree bark, notes of roasted caramel, beautifully, elegant, grey volcanics, salty, powdery, even slightly floral chalkiness, white to lightly brown spices with some medium palate heat, sea spray, oyster notes, sulfur/flintiness, limestone/sandstone, fruit blossoms, yellow lilies framed in a field of spring flowers. The acidity is near dead on...like a gentle cool stream. The long finish is, gorgeous & sexy, elegant, rich, good balance all around and persists gently for minutes.

Just gets better & better as it warms & opens up in the glass. This Bourgogne will add another point or two when I open my next bottle in 2-3 years. Except now, I own a bunch more of this 2018. Have some to enjoy early.

Excellent with our soft, white cheese...Jasper Hill Farms-Harbison. If you can find this cheese, it gets one of my highest recommendations. Bought it at Whole Foods but, you can always check JasperHillFarms.com if N/A where you shop.

Photos of; Masion Henri Boillot, Owner/Winemaker Henri Boillot, tasting room that looks into the barrel room and his Bonnes Mares Vineyard. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Pale to mid Ruby. A sooty earthy savoury red fruited note with raspberry and new leather. The palate is reserved yet with M+ intensity. Delicate yet assertive. Still very fresh for its age. Elegant with enough palate weight to make it totally enjoyable. Benjamin Leroux was the winemaker who has gone on to more accolades with his own label. Jasper Morris thought that this was the best wine made by Benjamin Leroux during his 14 year tenure at Domaine du Comte Armand. Would go on for several more years if you were lucky enough to be holding some. Pommard is another commune which has no Grand Crus but this must be one of the best Premier Crus. I concur with Jasper Morris MW when he had a bottle of this very wine with friends when he said “we were very sad to finish the bottle “. My son Hugh bought this wine for me from Sotheby’s NY in December 2013 and brought it home in his luggage for Christmas that year and I am so glad he did. This is one of the 1001 Wines. — 4 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Something for the Jasper Hill Farms, “Willoughby.”

I am not much for Brut these days. Prefer Extra Brut. But I had this 375ml left before I shifted gear’s.

Having said that, this is still very sound and consistent. Think I enjoyed it more once upon a time. It seems sweeter now having a steady stream of EB.

Nice mousse. Lemon, lime pulp w/ a bit flesh, Bosc pear, red apple, yellow stone fruits, tropical fruits, quince, ginger, whipped creams, graham cracker, nougat, light & soft volcanic minerals, nice chalk powder, sea fossils, gentle saline, yellow flowers & lilies with hints of jasmine, pleasant, lively acidity, good balance, structure-tension & a smartly polished elegant finish that lasts 90 seconds and long sets on white spice-ginger.

Excellent pair w/ Key Lime Tart.

@SimplyRedVirtualLiveHamburg — 7 months ago

Scott E. Becker

9.1

[Tasted on April 26, 2024 at Tom’s House with Tom]

Wine is Jasper Freestone single vineyard from Sonoma Coast. Red plum, raspberry and pomegranate fruit, with vanilla, tea and mineral notes. Silky wine. — 2 years ago

Rubychick

9.0

This darling just keeps coming back into my life. 22 Fiano, Jasper Hill family ❤️ — 3 years ago

with Erika

Ian Hamel

9.2

2022/7/9-10 with chicken with white wine and tarragon, Kenji Lopez-Alt’s roasted potatoes, etc. This was an interesting bottle; as Jasper Morris notes, there’s a bit of intentional CO2 spritz present even after all these years. On day 1, that added a bit of an edge to things, but at the core there is a lovely nose of spiced (mace, vanilla) cookies, buttery caramel and various fruit tarts. The palate really did better on day 2, which revealed a more relaxed, integrated, spherical whole. Overall, the nose was the star - but considering that this improved after opening, I’d love to see how it is with even more time. — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The nose reveals; sour lemons, green apple skin, green apple Jolly Rancher, lime zest to candy, pineapple juice, underripe green melon, white peach, honeysuckle, some fresh, green herbs, white spices, cream, notes of melted butter, caramel notes, hints of vanillin, cream, some candle wax, steely flintiness, saline, sea fossils, powdery beautiful, chalkiness, limestone minerals, grey volcanics, fruit blossoms, spring flowers, jasmine & yellow florals.

The body is; a touch waxy, full, rich, round, lush & gorgeous. Great viscosity, tangy & sour lemons, green apple skin, green apple Jolly Rancher, lime zest to candy, pineapple juice, underripe green melon, white peach, honeysuckle, honeycombs, some fresh, green herbs, white spices, caramel notes, hints of vanillin, cream, steely, flintiness, white spices, mint, saline, sea fossils, powdery chalkiness, limestone minerals, grey volcanics, river stones, tree bark w/ just a touch of sap, fruit blossoms, spring flowers, jasmine & yellow florals. The acidity is like a rushing, fresh water Colorado river. The long; gorgeous, sexy, polished, elegant, finely balanced finish is excellent wire to wire and persists minutes.

Beautiful wine & vintage. It’s about 3-5 years away from 94 & has 10-15 years of good drinking ahead. Properly stored of course.

Quite good with Lamb Chopper harder white cheese & Rustic Bakery Rosemary & Olive Oil Organic Flatbread & the Jasper Hill Willoughby soft white cheese with the Firehook flatbread crackers.

Photos of; Domaine William Fevre, their Bougros Vineyard, Winemaker- Didier Séguier and the entrance to William Fevre. — 6 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.5

97P WS, Whopping 15.5%. At the edge of where natural yeast dies. May be they used designer yeast? Anyways this is actually pretty good. Enormously complex with a bazillion interesting flavors including Eucalyptus. Picked this up for a tasting (I am hosting) it will be a mega hit. Folks will love this in your face flavor hammer. Isn’t it nice what a classicist is doing for his friends? — 5 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The 2012 J. Lassalle Special Club is made from 60% Pinot Noir & 40% Chardonnay. The vines average 50 yrs old. Hails from Chigny-Les-Roses. Winemakers Chantal Decelle-Lassalle and Angéline Templier farm using the practice of Lutte Raisonnée, which means they fall just short of organic. Sustainable but use minimal chemicals. Rain during and at the end of the season when Mother Nature doesn’t dry the grape clusters, chemicals are often necessary to prevent mold. This isn’t Sauternes!

Texturally, it is quite nice. Beautiful fine mousse and micro oxygenation. Lively but not aggressive acidity.

Green & golden apples, pear, pineapple, lime/lemon with zest, orange citrus blend, green melon & kiwi. White spice, bread dough, nougat, limestone bits, thick chalky powder, graham cracker crust, melted caramel, vanillin, saline, sea fossils, understated herbaceous notes, fruit blossoms, spring flowers with an elegant, smartly polished, well balanced, nicely structured-crafted finish that lasts 90 seconds & lands on volcanics & spice on the long set.

You could make case for 94 here. Perhaps fully with a few more yrs of bottle age.

Pairs well with the Jasper Hill Farms Limited Edition of their Champagne washed Harbison soft white. — 7 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

From a Delectable library photo. This is the 2015 vintage. Sweeter aromatics compared to the 2015 Echezeaux. An even more gorgeous scented nose. That sweetness carries through to the medium bodied palate. A little more flesh and density. The old vine fruit averaging 55 years. The name however does not imply greater quality over the Echezeaux. Jasper Morris MW has sometimes preferred Echezeaux to Grands Echezeaux in a given vintage. “Interestingly the vineyard is east facing with a thickish layer of well drained clay soil above the same downwash subsoil of Bajocian limestone as Le Musigny - a characteristic not shared by the rest of Echezeaux. This can impart a fuller texture to the wines of Grands Echezeaux over its neighbour as well as a greater consistency from one vintage to the next.” sourced from Inside Burgundy by Jasper Morris MW. — 9 months ago

Brian Hearty

9.0

2019. We added some cheese plates to our dinner order and they included Bayley Hazen Blue Cheese by Jasper Hill Farm, so I thought this would go well with cheese as well as with the duck liver mousse in the next course. Paired great. At Michael’s on the Hill. — 3 years ago

with Aditya, L and 3 others

Byron Hewett

9.3

Beautiful white from the Côte de Nuits. Jasper Morris considers this to be the best white from the CdN. — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Coravined bottle from mid week.

The 2012 is still a little early for me but, drinking beautifully.

The nose reveals; ripe, slightly dried fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dried dark cherries & cranberries, both plums, poached strawberries with some raspberries & blackberries. Radiant, dark spices, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, limestone minerals, dry crushed rocks, dark colas, steeped tea, black & red licorice, moist & drier clay, rich, forest floor with dry leaves, some dry herb, soft, understated eucalyptus, lightly, grilled meats, dry tobacco, well, used leather with ruby, candied, fresh & withering floral that are; dark, red, blue & purple.

The body is medium full, round, lush with dusty, light tannin presence with excellent viscosity. ripe, slightly dried fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dried dark cherries & cranberries, both plums, poached strawberries with some raspberries & blackberries. Radiant, dark spices, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, limestone minerals, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, dry stems, dark, berry colas, steeped tea, black & red licorice, moist & drier clay, dark, rich, forest floor with dry leaves, some dry herb, soft, understated eucalyptus, mint notes, lightly, dark, Asian & Indian spices with heat, grilled meats, dry, used, pipe tobacco, well, used leather with ruby, candied, fresh & withering floral that are; dark, red, blue & purple. The round, lush acidity is like a cool stream in Spring. The long, steady, rich, elegant, well knitted & balanced finish loads as ripe, juicy fruits falling onto to spice & earth persisting several minutes.

Shows all the beauty of the vintage & still has 8-12 years of good drinking ahead.

Cheeses; Jasper Hill Alpha Tolman & Willoughby, Mimolette. Dried Turkish Apricots, Cashews & Columbus Italian Dry Salami. Otherwise, tonight’s dinner.

1/8/21 — 5 years ago