Wildman New Release Burgundy Tasting

One of my favorite tastings every year. I did not have quite enough time to taste everything, but I continue to be incredibly impressed with 2012 Burgundy in general, and these great Wildman producers in particular. This is basically in the sequence I tasted the wines.

• 2012 Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
  Tasting, brief note. Lemon and apple with faint spice. Very good energy and balance for its level. A great bargain wine this year.
• 2012 Olivier Leflaive Rully 1er Cru Les Cloux Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Rully 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Apple and pear, moderate ripeness and intensity. Another good 2012, but frankly I preferred the wonderful Bourgogne "Setilles."
• 2012 Olivier Leflaive Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
  Tasting, brief note. Nutty with some apple aromas and flavors. Good depth and finish for its level with nice structural support.
• 2012 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
  Tasting, brief note. My personal favorite from the first 5 wines, this is classically Puligny with some richness, intensity and floral charm. Good depth, length and structure for its level. (90 pts.)
• 2012 Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet
  Tasting, brief note. Leaner than the Puligny, perhaps also slightly less exciting. Apple and lemon with good minerality, good textures, leaner fruit, less spice.
• 2012 Olivier Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Lots of apple, lots of intensity and concentration for its level. Needs time for a few rough edges on finish to soften, but good potential.
• 2012 Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Marc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Slightly backward right now but showing good concentration. Moderate intensity. Better to cellar for a couple of years.
• 2012 Olivier Leflaive Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Rich and lush aromatic start with lots of apple and pear aromas and flavors, perhaps some stone fruit background notes. Even fatter flavors, with a bit of butter rolled in. Very good potential here.

• 2012 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
  Tasting, brief note. Very good combination of ripe red and black fruit aromas. Same flavors profile, very lush but with sneaky power and elegant structure. Very good, very impressive Villages wine.
• 2012 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Starts with some subtle red cherry along with lots of black fruit, but transitions quickly to ripe black fruit, lots of spice. An expanding, mouth coating finish with great concentration. An excellent Lavaux, with 91-93 point potential.
• 2012 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
  Tasting, brief note. One of the couple of wines I didn't try last summer at the domaine because malo was so late to finish. Lush with dense concentration. All black with lots of spice and great texture. Nuance already starting to emerge. An excellent Rousseau Ruchottes, 93-94 point potential here.

• 2012 Faiveley Mercurey La Framboisière - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey
  Tasting, brief note. Strawberry start with nice floral tones. Same flavors with some tart red cherry. Lean styled, lots of acidity so a bit off center right now. Good.
• 2012 Faiveley Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Myglands - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. To me, a real step up from the Framboisiere just tasted. Good balance with nice balance of structure and riper black and red fruit. Well textured, moderate length. Very enjoyable.
• 2012 Faiveley Beaune 1er Cru Clos de l'Ecu - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Very good red and black cherry character with nice structure and balance. Very good length, just a bit firming on finish. Probably a very good value wine, 87-89 point potential.
• 2012 Faiveley Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Similar to my tasting from the summer with surprisingly black fruit for Volnay. Just seemed a little firmer and dense than last time, less forthcoming and fun for near-term consumption.
• 2012 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Damodes is always one of my favorite wines from that part of NSG, typically showing lots of Vosne-Romanee character for a fraction of the price. 2012 is no exception with a spice-driven start, some espresso and black fruit. Very good concentration and balance. 91-92 point potential here, very good.
• 2012 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. A big contrast with the Damodes just tasted, this prototypical central Nuits St. Georges with dense, meaty black fruit and firm textures. Powerful but not weighty with very elegant structure. 92-93 point potential, this will require far more time than Damodes to reach its full potential.
• 2012 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos des Issarts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Forward and alluring aromatic start with red and black berry with good spice and spring flowers. More firm, dense and "Gevrey" on palate with meaty spice and textures. Very good.
• 2012 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. All black fruit, lots of concentration but slightly brooding and not very forthcoming right now. But very good density for 1er. I think better than the (very good) Clos des Issarts just tasted, just needing lots more time.
• 2012 Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Very impressive, powerful, yet balanced. Lots of dense black fruit with good acidity, minerality and tannins. Lots going on here. i liked this even more today vs when tried at Faiveley last summer. Very good from start-to-finish.
• 2012 Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Ripe black fruit to start with the spice of traditional braised meat. Blackberry flavors that open and expand on palate, with lots of black and red fruit at the very elegant finish. Excellent.
• 2012 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Ultra concentration to start but with massive fruit that somehow manages incredible balance. Very long and beautifully textured. This has often been a good-to-great wine, but the 2009, 2010 and 2012 vintages are three of the greatest examples I can ever recall of young Corton. Very, very good.

• 2012 Domaine Labruyere Moulin-à-Vent Grande Cuvée - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
  Tasting, brief note. very bright fruit, good energy. Forward and easy to enjoy.
• 2012 Domaine Labruyere Moulin-à-Vent Clos du Moulin à Vent - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
  Tasting, brief note. Less bright fruit than the Grande Cuvee but more power and serious fruit. Good supporting structural elements. Very Burgundian, in the best possible sense.
• 2012 Domaine Jacques Prieur Beaune 1er Cru Clos de la Féguine - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Starts by showing mostly red fruit aromas, forward and charming. More depth and substance coming through on palate with more black fruit as well. Good power, moderate weight. 90 point potential. Very good. (90 pts.)
• 2012 Domaine Jacques Prieur Corton-Bressandes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Ripe black fruit start but very nice floral and spice support provides a great overall sensory experience. Big tannins are incredibly fine, giving this a very good sense of balance and integration already today. 92-93 point potential.
• 2012 Domaine Jacques Prieur Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Lots of robust and ripe black fruit on nose and palate. Some clove and anise support, but this is really forward and fruit driven for now. Very good, but I preferred the Corton Bressandes just tasted.

• 2012 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis - France, Burgundy, Chablis
  Tasting, brief note. Incredibly impressive wine for its level and price (just over $20). Ripe apple aromas and flavors with subtle spice and good supporting minerality and acidity. Ripe fruit and good structure together make this very easy to enjoy now. (88 pts.)
• 2012 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Apple and pear throughout with good concentration that finishes with lots of acidity, giving a slightly tart finish. Needs time. (89 pts.)
• 2012 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Lemon and green apple give this a energetic, textured, and lean character with a slight sense of oak that will need another year to soften. But an overall great edge and texture. I ever-so-slightly preferred this over the Valmur. (91 pts.)
• 2012 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Valmur - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Floral start with ripe apple and orange peel. Good spice nicely supports fruit, providing a lush, fun palate. Easier to enjoy now than Vaudesir, which I slightly prefer for its potential. (91 pts.)
• 2012 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Lemon, lemon peel, lime and some candied ginger character. Really power with intense minerality and oyster shell start-to-finish. Very impressive. (93 pts.)

• 2012 Faiveley Mercurey Clos Rochette Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey
  Tasting note. Tart fruit, good balance, a very good entry level wine.
• 2012 Faiveley Meursault 1er Cru Blagny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Nice apple and peach throughout with a slightly sweet character with some sneaky structure and moderate length and intensity. (87 pts.)
• 2012 Faiveley Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Intense concentration to start with lots of apple followed by lemon peel. Palate has an incredibly intriguing combination of spicy, fat and lush elements with lots of energy and brightness with great minerality and acidity. Excellent. 94-95 point potential.
• 2012 Domaine Jacques Prieur Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
  Tasting, brief note. Very enticing start with lots of floral notes, good fruit and a classic styling that implied that acidity and minerality to come. Very full and flavorful to start, with elongating structure middle to finish.

• 2012 Stephane Aviron Fleurie Vieilles Vignes Domaine De La Madriere - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
  Tasting, brief note. Perhaps my favorite of the lineup, showing all red fruit with good intensity but very good balance. Slightly leaner and elegantly styled.
• 2012 Stephane Aviron Juliénas - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Juliénas
  Tasting, brief note. Larger, fatter than the Fleurie, with both red and black cherry elements. More forward, less nuance or textures.
• 2012 Stephane Aviron Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
  Tasting, brief note. All red fruit aromas and flavors, slightly tart. Easy to enjoy, ok textures and balance.
• 2012 Stephane Aviron Morgon Côte du Py Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
  Tasting, brief note. Probably the most interesting in the lineup, even if not my favorite. Rich and sweet red and black fruit aromas and flavors that show much of what we often think about Beaujolais...but with very good structure and concentration from middle through good finish, that showcase some of the most interesting developments in wine from here. Good.