2012 Tissot (Bénédicte et Stéphane / André et Mireille) Arbois Vin Jaune W

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 93.3 points

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  8/11/2023 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points

  100% biodynamically grown Savagnin. Fermented spontaneously in stainless steel. Aged sous voile for 6-7 years in old oak casks that were used to age Michel Couvreur whisky (and Michel Couvreur used to age his whisky in old Tissot vin jaune casks). 16% alcohol.
  
  Medium-deep yellow-green color. The nose feels deep, brooding and characterful with aromas of dried nectarine and Sultana raisin, some honeyed tones, a little bit of caramel character, light aldehydic notes of sorrel, a hint of mushroomy funk, a dry, grainy touch reminiscent of whisky and a boozy whiff of alcohol. The wine feels powerful, ripe and somewhat concentrated with a full body and intense flavors of lemony citrus fruits and aldehydic notes of sorrel and green almonds, some funky mushroomy tones, a little bit of grainy whisky character, light honeyed and caramel nuances, a hint of creamy oak and a touch of zesty orange. The high acidity lends good sense of balance and structure to the wine while the high alcohol makes the overall feel rather warm. The finish is long, powerful and slightly hot with a dry, complex aftertaste of lemony citrus fruits and grainy malt character, some sharp aldehydic notes of sorrel, sea salt and green almonds, a little bit of ripe orange, light honeyed nuances, a hint of mushroomy funk and a sweet touch of dried nectarine.
  
  A surprisingly hefty and powerful Vin Jaune that is maybe a bit too heavy for my preference, but there's no denying that the wine still manages to show surprisingly impressive sense of balance and structure. Although I don't mind big and ripe Vin Jaunes, this is maybe getting a bit too big. Especially the very high alcohol is starting to show a bit too much - and Vin Jaune should be a style that can carry surprisingly high levels of alc% with remarkable ease! Fortunately the wine shows very little whisky character - in a tasting of multiple Vin Jaunes one can taste how there is a slightly grainy whisky-like streak to the flavors, but I guess one might never realize any whisky influence if just sipping this wine on its own. And that's a good thing - I loathe almost invariably all the rich, spoofy "whisky-finished" wine concoctions! This was still a superb wine in its own right.

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  4/23/2023 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 96 Points

  A private lunch (Restaurant Bak, Amsterdam, NL): Intense but accessible, deep and rich, salty and floral, power and elegance, wonderful added complexity from the whisky barrels, endless finish.

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