2006 Tissot (Bénédicte et Stéphane / André et Mireille) Arbois Audace Poulsard passerillé sur paille

RJonWine.com

• By Richard Jennings
  6/12/2011, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 92 points

  (Tissot (Bénédicte et Stéphane / André et Mireille) Arbois Audace Poulsard passerillé sur paille) Medium dark orange red color with pale meniscus; ripe blood orange, black cherry, black raspberry nose; tasty, black raspberry, peach, ripe blood orange, blackberry palate; long finish 92+ points

• By Richard Jennings
  6/26/2009, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 94 points

  (Tissot (Bénédicte et Stéphane / André et Mireille) Arbois Audace Poulsard passerillé sur paille) Medium dark cranberry red color; VA, dried cherry, currant nose with a green note; tasty dried cranberry, dried cherry, red plum, preserved lemon, preserved clementine and floral palate; long finish

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  4/9/2008, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (AUDACE Tissot) Audace Dear Friends, I had an out of body experience with this wine last night and I’m still not sure what to say about it. I spent the better part of the day chasing it down and I hope I am able to acquire enough bottles to satisfy the curiosity of our customer base. It is celestial in its intrigue and grandiose in its impression on the palate. It’s that good. I have to warn you - the verbiage below will tend toward the hyperbolic and over-the-top but I can’t really describe this wine in a staid way. I’ve had previous vintages of this wine (we’ve offered a few) produced by the master of the Jura, Stephane Tissot but the 2006 is his crowning achievement. As one of the worlds greatest dessert winemakers, every vintage of this is memorable in its own way, but to compare the 2004 Audace to this is like 1999 Yquem next to the 2001. Both are good but.... From 100% Poulsard, an indigenous red varietal planted high in the mountain air and lack of oxygen, the Audace is produced in one of the most unusual manners I’ve witnessed. The grapes are picked late, very late, and allowed to dry high in the attic of his vintage barn. They hang 25 ft up at the ceiling level, like vinous icicles above your head. This traditional process uses the natural inversion of heat during the winter and spring, where moisture is left near the surface of the ground and the higher you go, the drier the air. This occurrence naturally shrivels and concentrates the grapes into liquid gemstones, bursting with candied, cerebral fruit that Stephane has to watch over like a hawk. When the grapes are almost ready and the sugars are at their most tempting and surreal, he stays in the barn through the night with a shotgun (I’m serious - bats have their vices too). This process takes months and can last until the end of spring - a long time to fret over your prized bounty. The resulting nectar is lightly pressed into small bottles and a single open vessel of this dessert wine can last for a month or more if you have the patience. The only way to describe this wine is in expletives that I would be embarrassed to print. It makes the taster go dumb for a few moments and the only utterance out of your mouth is a slew of feeble gibberish intermixed with smirks, joy and head-spinning laughter. I tried this wine with a famous European exporter and his reaction is worth the reprint: “Like licking leather and crushed raspberries with length that goes to another definition - I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a wine this long” - not sure I can top that except I would have added molten, framboise motor-oil to that. You can tip the bottle upside down and it’s even money whether the liquid will dispense from the glass. Almost borders on astounding for a vinified wine and I don’t think I’ve ever used that word to describe a wine. The fact that Tissot produces this in a completely natural/organic way and he does so with “grapes” is a defying fact on its own. An experience that will transform your palate. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a wine to bring out when only the very best dessert will bowl over your guests. I mean dessert, not dessert wine - this wine ends the meal on its own and only a few sips are necessary. 2006 Tissot Audace (Poulsard) (approx 375ml but every bottle is slightly different) EXTREMELY LIMITED - 10 cases for the entire US Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA SOFR9823