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| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.6 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 35 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by chugalug on 11/22/2023: Sugar and spice and everything nice. Had to stand the bottle up for two months before the sediment found its way to the bottom. Best paired with fall/winter cake or pudding, but tasty on its own. (640 views) | | | Tasted by Gargantua on 6/18/2023: A lovely surprise alongside dessert at Oxalis--checking off a lot of boxes for what I like in a fortified dessert wine. Dry, tangy, something spicy, not heavy nor too viscous and cloying, and a fun story to boot. (1047 views) | | | Tasted by mye on 2/9/2021: Had no idea what to expect, but wow this was pretty interesting. Medium sweetness, great acidity, and waves of different spices. Enjoyable to sip on after a meal. (2659 views) | | | Tasted by franm on 10/20/2019: cheers - won't give it a rating....like many others, this wine surprised me....wish I could say I loved it or even liked it, but not the case....would much rather drink port or sherry....although complex, this was way too weird and spicy, with too much going on...sometimes "less is better" (2855 views) | | | Tasted by PacoHigon on 6/28/2019: A medio camino entre un vermout y un vino de postre, esta excepcional elaboración trae recuerdos a ajenjo, canela, tomillo, cúrcuma, fruta blanca madura, y sensaciones licorosas. En boca el equilibrio entre las sensaciones dulces y amargas, su frescura y su equilibrio son notables. Largo y muy seductor. (3015 views) | | | Tasted by PacoHigon on 3/4/2019: Un MacVin a la vieja usanza, fruto del ensamblaje de 2/3 de mosto calentado con especias y 1/3 de Fin del Jura. Nariz expresiva y bien perfilada con notas de canela, pan de especias, menta... En boca especiado, casi recuerda a un vermut, chocolate blanco, amargoso, largo y con profundidad. Me pareció sorprendente y muy atractivo... (2906 views) | | | Tasted by spidersva on 12/31/2017 & rated 94 points: Pretty magical. Had no idea what to expect. Some spice, not overly sweet. (1966 views) | | | Tasted by Motz on 11/12/2017 & rated 85 points: Bourdy Tasting - Wine 11:
Similar bouquet and taste profile to Chinato, but wholly lacking that wine's power. It came off much more like Glühwein, straightforward, with good acid and non-cloying sweetness. Pedestrian, yet fun. (3823 views) | | | Tasted by lolo66 on 12/15/2016: I loved this. 1st time trying this. A not as powerful Chinato. Lighter in style than a chianto and had such a nice mix of herbs. Had with apple tart and it was sublime. (4327 views) | | | Tasted by 14frimaire on 10/21/2016: Nice, but not as nice as the last one, as I recall. (4123 views) | | | Tasted by convex on 4/13/2016 & rated 90 points: White port. (4460 views) | | | Tasted by AV2012 on 4/12/2016 & rated 86 points: A bit puzzled by the high marks given here, this is a very peculiar wine that will go extremely well with Christmas cake, but I can hardly see its use otherwise.
Raspberry jam, pumpkin pie and Christmas spices, licorice, cumine and safron as well as Pumpernikel and cardamon - it is both nose and palate. Good accidity. Nice enough, but not more. (4213 views) | | | Tasted by Sennma on 9/28/2015: Christmas spice cake in a glass...really delicious after a heavy meal. (4262 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 9/27/2015 & rated 93 points: Senn-d off: Oh wow this was just the antidote to a big evening of wine and beef. There's Christmas cake, pumpkin spice latte (Ugg-and-mini-wearing girls rejoice!), and some anise-liqueur notes on this bottle. Similar to a chinato, though it seems this is less herbal in nature. Ok, besides this, I have really no idea what else to write, other than this is really, really good, especially after a big meal. (3788 views) | | | Tasted by Deux Chevaux on 7/19/2015: Golden orange, and rather hazy toward the end of the bottle. Gingerbread! So much so, that my wife refused to have it on the second night, after the first pour. Which meant, I enjoyed it a little bit each night over the next two weeks, while she had another little aperitif.
This is an odd fellow, and indeed, you can smell it across the room. I'm glad to have had it, but I did not find the complexity that I anticipated from the notes I'd read below. Still, I liked it enough to buy one more bottle, and will open it in some future December. (It really does taste and smell rather Christmasy, for good or ill.) (2975 views) | | | Tasted by Zoomin Z on 11/29/2014 & rated 92 points: From a freshly opened bottle. A rich nose of walnut and honey, with strong allspice notes, even some baked ginger. A medium weight, nutty sherry flavor, with a strong streak of sweetness, and a very long nutty finish. This (fortified wine?) is not at all thick like a Pedro Ximenez, and is unlike any dessert or sweet wine that I have ever tasted. Would love to try this again. (3272 views) | | | Tasted by David Paris (dbp) on 11/7/2014 & rated 92 points: Eight decades of Château-Chalon (back to 1934) with Jean-Francois Bourdy: I didn't go as bonkers for this as I did with my note from two years ago, but it was still wonderful. This offers very spicy and beautiful aromas. It's so rich. All of the wines of this first flight were poured together and I had to separate this from the rest because the aromas were so overpowering I could smell it from several feet away. The palate was rich and soft, with beautiful luscious texture. I loved all the interesting, integrated spices. It's amazing how you can focus on the wine and get something different each time. Still though, this wasn't nearly as expressive as it was two years ago. I need to crack one of my bottles open and enjoy it, as this should stay quite well open. (4248 views) | | | Tasted by Honey Badger on 8/15/2014: Not everyone will like this and it's really hard to classify as wine, spirit or "other" but aromatically it's really amazing. It smells ancient and the herbs and aromatics are hard to identify but that's also probably not the point, you can smell something singular in your glass for minutes after your last sip, not lingering but actually powerful aromas. I love it, it smells like a Christmas in old Europe and makes you stop and linger while you sip which is more than I can say for 99% of wine in the world, even plenty of trophy wines, this is the real deal. Even if it's weird. (3079 views) | | | Tasted by MarkC on 8/6/2014: Not sure what to say about this. On the one hand, the nose and palate are so different from one another it could be that I'm smelling Sauvignin Blanc and drinking Port. Which might be interesting if it was good SB and good Port. Medicinal, chemical, artificial--that is what comes to mind. The finish, however, almost redeems the wine. Glorious baking spices, and incredible length, make for a good end to a bad day. Still can't rate it, and probably won't seek it out except as an experiment (which is a bummer because I have two more bottles left). (3385 views) | | | Tasted by TRough on 5/12/2014 & rated 90 points: more cinnamon & spice than I care for but good for what it is (2989 views) | | | Tasted by kakpoo on 3/20/2014: Everything the previous tasters said! (2786 views) | | | Tasted by forceberry on 2/4/2014 & rated 100 points: Not as much a wine than the most extraordinary vin de liqueur, or even Vermouth, in the world. The base wine is unfermented Savagnin from Château-Chalon, which is cooked for one whole day with 25 different spices, letting the juice concentrate and infuse it with the spice flavors. After the cooking the juice is fortified with Marc de Franche-Comté, resulting in a Macvin that is 2/3 juice and 1/3 Marc. This special, spiced Macvin is aged for a minimum 5 years in old oak barrels before it is bottled.
Orange, somewhat coppery clear color. The first sniff of this wine makes me just burst out laughing and my first note about the aroma in my notebook is "I have no idea what this smells of :D". I mean, the nose is completely insane in its complexity and it smells unlike anything remotely related to wine. It is incredibly alien, yet so very attractive with its intermingling, constantly evolving nuances. I can pick up vague hints of orange peel, coriander seed, clove, honey, chinotto (think of Campari), cinnamon, pet shop, saw dust, mulled wine... and then there are a plethora of aromas that I just can't pick out. It's like smelling a magical concotion that is best described as bottled spirit of Christmas from some fantasy land. And no matter how ridiculous the nose is in its complexity, the palate follows it verbatim. Writing a tasting note on this wine is like translating a language you have never heard of before. I'm just dumbfounded. The wine is very rich, sweet and full-bodied on the mouth, with still good freshness and bright acidity, probably thanks to Savagnin. There are infinitely complex flavors that include, but are not limited to maple syrup, heather honey, aromatic root vegetables, beeswax, thyme, blood orange marmalade, licorice and clove. The sweetness of the wine feels remarkably well-balanced with the spices and the acidity. The finish is as complex as the midpalate, but it feels completely different with less sweet flavors of bitter orange peel, steely minerality, roasted nuts, mulled wine, raisins, honey, wild flowers, some bitter spices, a little lemon juice and a hint of vegetal greenness. The aftertaste is infinitely long, sweet, refreshing and almost kaleidoscopic how it changes all the time.
This is probably the most difficult wine I have ever tried to write a tasting note of - every once in a while you realize how limited your vocabulary is when trying to convey tastes and aromas. Furthermore, you really have to concentrate on writing the tasting notes, because otherwise this "wine" gets you carried away completely, in an instant. This is one of the most captivating alcoholic beverages I have ever tasted and it is best described as a magical elixir from an imagined fantasy world. I'm not sure if this wine can surprise me as profoundly as it did now if I ever will taste it again, as I now know what to expect. However, because this was so unique and so memorable an experience, I have no qualms about awarding the wine full 100 points. For the fans of sweet and fortified wines, this is truly a bottle worth seeking out. As the user "tooch" put so well, "the hype is real".
Ex-cellar price is 23€, but most often the wine is found at 3-4 times the price. (2738 views) | | | Tasted by tooch on 2/3/2014 & rated 94 points: TN: Jura Night (Mon Ami Gabi - Chicago, IL): Mr. Carrot Cake, meet Ms. Pumpkin Pie. I hope that everyone gets to try this wine someday. So much craziness going on that it's hard to put everything that's going on into a single note. Has a dazzling combination of pumpkin, carrot, peach, orange, and spice. The spices are outrageous. The hype is real. (3816 views) | | | Tasted by benny on 1/12/2014 & rated 96 points: This is insanely delicious and unique. Jon R was right on. (2602 views) | | | Tasted by marsilius on 12/27/2012 & rated 95 points: This is a wine actually worthy of the garagiste superlatives. It's rich, complex, has a bouquet that I still can't quite nail (spices, sugar, a good herbal hit). It is a bit viscous, though less so than a TBA or a vin santo. Has a complex beginning, with a fair bit of honey, but a great bit of acidity to end. I can't really rave enough about this wine. It is really really good, and quite special, and entirely worth it. Share with many of those you love, or open with the one you love on a random winters night, and all will be well. (3515 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (9/25/2012)
(NV Jean Bourdy, Galant des Abbesses n de Liqueur White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jon Rimmerman
Garagiste (1/29/2009)
(NV Caves Bourdy "Galant des Abesses") Galant Dear Friends, Here's a late-night confirmation that I've been waiting for since mid-December. Of all the wines tasted at the Blue Hill/Bourdy event, this example was heaped with near universal acclaim as one of the most unusual, exotic and complex dessert wines most in attendance had ever placed before their palate. The mÄlange of freshly ground Indian and Asian spices that cascade from the wine are unlike anything else. Bourdy's Galant des Abbesses is a legend in France and they are the only estate that has the means to produce it - one estate, that's it. The recipe and production are so cumbersome, few have the wherewithal to copy it (think Ricola meets Eiswein meets 100 year old PX). Part dessert wine, part tonic - instead of trying to explain the wine or exclaim the superlative and ponderous quality that it provides, I will translate the words of Jean-Francois Bourdy below: "...a macvin prepared according to a secret recipe of 1579 created by the nuns of the Abbey of Chëteau-Chalon. The Abbey owned the vineyards of Chëteau Chalon in the 16th century and wrote of this special wine that it was "notre vin de galant". The Bourdy Family holds the original recipe, the only in the world. We are the only estate capable of producing this singular wine, considered the equal of France's greatest dessert wines, as it was made in the 16th century. The must is placed in a copper kettle to which 25 different alpine herbs and spices are precisely measured to the gram. The mix is heated and reduced during many hours - more than one day. The reduced must is placed in old barrels with 1/3 very old Marc or Fine de Franche ComtÄ, some more than 100 years old. The mixture then ages for a minimum of 5 years and is bottled for only a very few. When opened, the Galant pairs with dark chocolate or nut cake, with vanilla cream, raisins or nuts. Cooked fresh figs dressed with almond butter and drizzled with Galant is a glorious match. Pears may be poached in Galant. A most intoxicating way of using the Galant is to deglaze and serve over filet mignon or white meat. This gives a main course never to be forgotten" I can't really follow that with any comment except the wine lives up to its history. Each bottle is hand made - a few hundred bottles produced each fall from the fresh pressings of the year (the Galant cannot be made with must that has already aged - it is a race against time once the grapes are pressed). The Galant des Abessess is one of the lowest priced top-tier dessert wines produced in Europe. It received a near perfect rating from the Guide Fleurus last year (I believe it received a higher rating than Yquem) and its history is among the most storied of any vinous example in the history of French culture. A well stored bottle of Galant can last for decades. An exquisite concoction that rises above any classification. (this is a full bottle, not a split - it will last, open in your cellar, for weeks) Caves Bourdy "Galant des Abesses" (750ml) (Bottles previously released in Europe are mostly 375ml, 620ml or possibly 700ml, none are 750ml which makes this limited series imminently collectable) EXTREMELY LIMITED - VERY RARE Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA SOFR6311 |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and Garagiste. (manage subscription channels) |
| Jean Bourdy Producer websiteWhite Blend"White blend" means the wine is made from a blend of two or more different white varieties - or in some cases a blend of pink or red varieties that are vinified white, ie. without any skin contact.
A blend of Antao, Arinto, Rouperio. France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comJuraA petite and relatively obscure wine region in eastern France, between Burgundy and the Swiss border. Its geographical isolation has helped it to remain a rare bastion of traditional winemaking techniques, and today it produces some of the most distinctive wines in the world. Reds from the Jura are often light-bodied, earthy, berried, and reminiscent of the village wines of Burgundy (though here they are made of local grapes like Poulsard and Trousseau). While Chardonnay features widely, the true specialty of the region is the Vin Jaune (“yellow wine”) made from the white Savagnin grape. Cloudy, difficult Vin Jaune is made only in the best vintages, and must be aged for at least six years before being released. As it ages under a layer of yeast, known locally as “voile,” the wine slowly oxidizes, leading to complex aromas and flavors that range from walnut skin to sultana to spices and truffles. Famously long lived it is always sold in dumpy 62 cl bottle - the wine lost in production having been taken by les anges.
On weinlagen-infoCôtes du Jura On weinlagen-info |
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