Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Andy Jin, Colin Hanson, Jayson Cohen, Jeff Grossman, Justin Yagerman
A few of us are fans of the wines of Julien Labet. We've even acquired a bottle here and a bottle there (...shout out to Trevor at Discovery Wines for even putting a few on the website).
We've been trying to get this jeebus together for several years now but with busy urban schedules (and a pandemic) we just could not make it happen. I had even pulled the wines from storage and they took their most-recent couple of years in my little unit at home.
But the Jura stars finally aligned. Though many were called... many demurred, delayed, cancelled, apologized, had to work, whatever. Where we did not have enough Labet we patched the cracks with Puffeney. (As one does.)
The best five of us appeared at Zest Szechuan, in midtown, ordered up a storm of delicious savory goods, and brandished our corkscrews thusly:
Flight 1: A Bit of Sparkle
Dom. Labet NV Cremant du Jura - 60% PN/40% poulsard, no dosage; paler color than the Bugey, brilliant acids, hard yellow fruits, "like sparkling Flintstones vitamins" Justin; only very slight oxy note late into the finish; inexpensive bottle and candidate for WOTN
Renardet-Fache 2020 VdF "Au Commencement" - an all-poulsard bottling brought as a ringer (and to keep the Labet sparkler some company); this is rather soft and sweet, loose strawberry juice, best reserved for Aunt Tillie (and not in the league with the rest of the table); Day 2: shows a lot drier, it is labelled "vin mousseux sec" after all
Flight 2: Labet, Broadly (and one Puffeney)
Dom. Labet 2016 Chardonnay "Les Champs Rouges" - aggressively reduced/matchsticky (which disappears in a half hour or so); pale, savory wine that reminds of apricot and mushroom, firm, direct, even brusque, good wine for your sec moments
Dom. Labet 2016 Chardonnay "En Billat" - two or three shades darker gold than the Champs Rouges, right out of the bottle this is tangy and honeyed and suave, very complete, long and consistent finish; an hour or two later, though, it has trimmed a bit
Dom. Labet 2013 "Fleur de Savagnin" - similar light gold hue as the Billat; of course, the different cepage comes on differently: big impressive attack with orange and citrus leading the charge, "saline in spades" Colin, alas the midpalate drops off just as steeply
Dom. Puffeney 2014 Arbois Chardonnay - not originally part of the flight but moved here to keep the chard varietals together, as pale as the Champs Rouges, the nose is strong and stern with sulfur and something else (I take it for an earthy smell, Colin describes it as ‘dank’, Jayson worries it is TCA (it wasn’t)), this is a cup of even more yellow fruits with aching purity and intensity, it leaves my mouth buzzing
Flight 3: Labet, Deeply
Dom. Labet 2016 Chardonnay "Les Varrons" - here is chard of even better breeding with a powdery mineral core and crisp acids; however, in comparison to the others in this flight, somewhat muted today
Dom. Labet 2015 Chardonnay "Les Varrons" - it may not always be true but it is here: this wine is bigger and plumper in the midpalate than the previous wine and yet it has scaled-up appropriately, not flabby and with enough twang and acid balance (not acid pre-eminence, as in some other wines hereabouts); another candidate for WOTN; Day 2: a little less shouty but more frangipane minerality
Dom. Labet 2013 Chardonnay "Les Varrons" - gentlest of the three and perhaps not merely age?, my note says "the edges are curled back", it has the longest finish of the three
Flight 4: More Puffeney
Dom. Puffeney NV Arbois "Cuvée Sacha" - were these always NV?, we think it’s a mix of chard and savagnin, and this is gorgeous, golden fruit, oxidation flavors noticeable but well-judged (OK, OK, maybe just a tad strong but I’m fussy about that)
Dom. Puffeney 2014 Arbois Pinot Noir - terrific wine, such incredible purity of fruit, none of the jamminess you get with pinot noir grown in hotter places/times, texture is a little light but the rest of the winos are very happy
Dom. Puffeney 2016 Trousseau - OMG, this is what I drink Jura reds for: earthy, tangy and twangy, little red fruits
Flight 5: Labet Red
Dom. Labet 2019 Poulsard "Sur Charriere" - not quite red and not quite pink, this is a fountain of fruity esters and playful acids, "So much energy!" Jayson, it cannot be reasonable to own these bottles and ignore them for 4 years
Dom. Labet 2015 Poulsard "Sur Charriere" - actually red, fruit a little more towards the black cherry / cranberry side, and not as interesting as the ’19; Day 2: improved!, flavors pop more, fruit leather, and the acidity has rebounded
Flight 6: And There’s More!
Falkenstein 2020 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken - 3 525 672 1 21 "Mutter Anna", very bright, lemony, a few sponty aromas, thin texture, eh (nota bene: I am not a trocken guy) (MFW accurately says "The wine is all about linearity, salty zest, and focus on the palate and leaves at this stage little beyond an animating feel tartness and bitter sweetness in the straight finish.")
We sluiced ourselves into the subway and, to our own amazements, took trains in the right directions and made it home safely.
The intended diva of the evening was the chardonnay from Les Varrons but a good deal of limelight was grabbed by the amazing cremant and the startling purity of the Puffeney wines. I am eager to do this again as I have a bottle of chardonnay from La Reine, which I think is an even better cru... but nobody here has even heard of it!
A great jeebus, thanks to everyone.
A few of us are fans of the wines of Julien Labet. We've even acquired a bottle here and a bottle there (...shout out to Trevor at Discovery Wines for even putting a few on the website).
We've been trying to get this jeebus together for several years now but with busy urban schedules (and a pandemic) we just could not make it happen. I had even pulled the wines from storage and they took their most-recent couple of years in my little unit at home.
But the Jura stars finally aligned. Though many were called... many demurred, delayed, cancelled, apologized, had to work, whatever. Where we did not have enough Labet we patched the cracks with Puffeney. (As one does.)
The best five of us appeared at Zest Szechuan, in midtown, ordered up a storm of delicious savory goods, and brandished our corkscrews thusly:
Flight 1: A Bit of Sparkle
Dom. Labet NV Cremant du Jura - 60% PN/40% poulsard, no dosage; paler color than the Bugey, brilliant acids, hard yellow fruits, "like sparkling Flintstones vitamins" Justin; only very slight oxy note late into the finish; inexpensive bottle and candidate for WOTN
Renardet-Fache 2020 VdF "Au Commencement" - an all-poulsard bottling brought as a ringer (and to keep the Labet sparkler some company); this is rather soft and sweet, loose strawberry juice, best reserved for Aunt Tillie (and not in the league with the rest of the table); Day 2: shows a lot drier, it is labelled "vin mousseux sec" after all
Flight 2: Labet, Broadly (and one Puffeney)
Dom. Labet 2016 Chardonnay "Les Champs Rouges" - aggressively reduced/matchsticky (which disappears in a half hour or so); pale, savory wine that reminds of apricot and mushroom, firm, direct, even brusque, good wine for your sec moments
Dom. Labet 2016 Chardonnay "En Billat" - two or three shades darker gold than the Champs Rouges, right out of the bottle this is tangy and honeyed and suave, very complete, long and consistent finish; an hour or two later, though, it has trimmed a bit
Dom. Labet 2013 "Fleur de Savagnin" - similar light gold hue as the Billat; of course, the different cepage comes on differently: big impressive attack with orange and citrus leading the charge, "saline in spades" Colin, alas the midpalate drops off just as steeply
Dom. Puffeney 2014 Arbois Chardonnay - not originally part of the flight but moved here to keep the chard varietals together, as pale as the Champs Rouges, the nose is strong and stern with sulfur and something else (I take it for an earthy smell, Colin describes it as ‘dank’, Jayson worries it is TCA (it wasn’t)), this is a cup of even more yellow fruits with aching purity and intensity, it leaves my mouth buzzing
Flight 3: Labet, Deeply
Dom. Labet 2016 Chardonnay "Les Varrons" - here is chard of even better breeding with a powdery mineral core and crisp acids; however, in comparison to the others in this flight, somewhat muted today
Dom. Labet 2015 Chardonnay "Les Varrons" - it may not always be true but it is here: this wine is bigger and plumper in the midpalate than the previous wine and yet it has scaled-up appropriately, not flabby and with enough twang and acid balance (not acid pre-eminence, as in some other wines hereabouts); another candidate for WOTN; Day 2: a little less shouty but more frangipane minerality
Dom. Labet 2013 Chardonnay "Les Varrons" - gentlest of the three and perhaps not merely age?, my note says "the edges are curled back", it has the longest finish of the three
Flight 4: More Puffeney
Dom. Puffeney NV Arbois "Cuvée Sacha" - were these always NV?, we think it’s a mix of chard and savagnin, and this is gorgeous, golden fruit, oxidation flavors noticeable but well-judged (OK, OK, maybe just a tad strong but I’m fussy about that)
Dom. Puffeney 2014 Arbois Pinot Noir - terrific wine, such incredible purity of fruit, none of the jamminess you get with pinot noir grown in hotter places/times, texture is a little light but the rest of the winos are very happy
Dom. Puffeney 2016 Trousseau - OMG, this is what I drink Jura reds for: earthy, tangy and twangy, little red fruits
Flight 5: Labet Red
Dom. Labet 2019 Poulsard "Sur Charriere" - not quite red and not quite pink, this is a fountain of fruity esters and playful acids, "So much energy!" Jayson, it cannot be reasonable to own these bottles and ignore them for 4 years
Dom. Labet 2015 Poulsard "Sur Charriere" - actually red, fruit a little more towards the black cherry / cranberry side, and not as interesting as the ’19; Day 2: improved!, flavors pop more, fruit leather, and the acidity has rebounded
Flight 6: And There’s More!
Falkenstein 2020 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken - 3 525 672 1 21 "Mutter Anna", very bright, lemony, a few sponty aromas, thin texture, eh (nota bene: I am not a trocken guy) (MFW accurately says "The wine is all about linearity, salty zest, and focus on the palate and leaves at this stage little beyond an animating feel tartness and bitter sweetness in the straight finish.")
We sluiced ourselves into the subway and, to our own amazements, took trains in the right directions and made it home safely.
The intended diva of the evening was the chardonnay from Les Varrons but a good deal of limelight was grabbed by the amazing cremant and the startling purity of the Puffeney wines. I am eager to do this again as I have a bottle of chardonnay from La Reine, which I think is an even better cru... but nobody here has even heard of it!
A great jeebus, thanks to everyone.