2009 Domaine Debray Saint-Aubin Les Pucelles Blanc

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  7/1/2010, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (ST AUBIN Les Pucelles DEBRAY) 2009 Burgundy Dear Friends, Ingenuity breeds innovation but today was a first for me. With a dozen sample boxes (from wineries) piled up at the local Poste, the six block walk never appeared so long...and it kept getting longer (as if fun house mirrors had been placed at every corner). As a I began to walk down the maze I call my adopted neighborhood in Paris, I stared at my hands and then my feet and wondered how I was going to carry all of this? A web of cobbled streets, winding stairs, multiple courtyards and several intercom buzzers later I found myself in front of Le Poste with nothing but an abandoned baby carriage in tow. If it worked for the young mom down the block and her 20kg baby, it would work for my Champagne, certainly for six measly blocks? “Bonjour monsieur, how is the baby today?”, “Just fine” I replied, pulling the hood over the carriage to hide the empty cargo - “Please, go to the head of the line, the baby cannot wait” - “Well, I couldn’t, I’ll just wait” (feeling awfully guilty), “No, no, no, we all insist monsieur – it is so nice to see a father taking his baby for a stroll during the workday” - somehow caught between an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm and the French movie Delicatessen, I sheepishly grinned and jumped 40 places to the head of the line. I felt oh-so small with a peach pit in the bottom of my stomach but I had just gained 45 minutes by the move and, in Paris, time is not only of the essence, it is the essence. Once at the front of the line, I had a problem – each and every neighbor, now behind me, wanted to see the beautiful baby while the clerk and I fumbled with my pile of wine boxes. What to do? I shrugged several times, smiled, waved that the “infant” was sound asleep but a pushy neighbor pulled the hood back anyway... Here is a lesson to all of you. The next time you are in France and you want to fit in with the neighborhood, the least successful way to ingratiate yourself to the local color is by skipping in line at the Poste - faking the presence of a baby adds several points in the negative column. Granted, I never intended to use the carriage as a means of accessing the First Class line but they insisted? Right? Sigh. Needless to say, I was kicked out of Le Poste by the frowns and shaking heads of the people around me – I even heard a mother say to her son “you see, that is why we send you to the private school – such riff raff”. I sulked out with my tower of heavy boxes piled high and creaking baby carriage underneath - gingerly holding the weight like an image from Dr. Seuss – I muttered the whole way back to my apartment as each of the peering eyes pierced my back with the wish of a tumble of boxes falling to the street...I can almost hear their laughter as I repeated under my breath (in the hope it would bring me some form of salvation)... “I promise not to skip in line, I promise not to skip in line, I promise not to skip in line, I promise not to...” Oh yes, we have a wine to discuss... Today’s offer is a “wow” - plain and simple. I know many of you have been waiting for a peek at 2009 Burgundy and today’s the day. From what I’ve tasted so far (approximately 100 2009’s, both red and white), at its high-point, the vintage is absolutely giddy (and I rarely say that). It is not an across the board success by any means, but there are fabulous, incredibly complete wines that will defy the odds and potential preconceptions. Too ripe? I think not. Too much? Not a chance. These are examples of equilibrium the likes of which most of us have never witnessed. The mineral drenched depth is uncanny but so is the harmony, acidity and overall balance – almost a new term, “super balance” - every element is elevated but they all work in tandem to create a head-spinning experience. ...which brings us to today’s offer. You can look up TN’s on the 2007 version of Domaine Debray St. Aubin we offered a year ago but this wine takes that strength (which was very strong indeed) to an outer orbit. Where the 2007 was an amalgam of several top sources in St. Aubin, in 2009, Les Pucelles stood out to such a degree it was bottled separately. While you’re not going to like every wine we offer – this is about as close to a home run as we parade in front of your palate (regardless of preference). It is a wonderful bottle of Burgundy – citric, stony and full of cut (like the 2007) meshed with the passionate body of 2009. In a similar, almost eerie mirror of Bordeaux, when the 2009 Burgundies get it right (which is not with every wine), they have a near-perfect semblance of tone, terroir, lift and length without any heaviness or high alcohol (in fact, the best wines have lower alcohol than 2005 or 2002). The “passionate body” I refer to above has zero excess gras (fat) - it is like a liposuction advertisement in a French magazine with a perfect, unobtainable form as the goal – in this case, that perfect body is real. From a source that has shown a masterful touch with St. Aubin, I almost forgot to mention - the price is laughable for Burgundy Grand Vin. In addition, there’s no butter or caramel to complicate and confuse – only the purest and freshest tense Chardonnay with a background accent of wood that the finest Burgundies pull off with such grace. With length and flavor to burn (the wine stays on the palate for nearly a full minute), this is an outstanding bottle of wine that unfolds like a slow rolling wave that eventually becomes a 40 footer. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (about as highly recommended as white Burgundy gets for ) FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 72/person until we run out ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this price (we only have one shipment so take note - the entire 2009 vintage is already spoken for). This parcel is directly from the winery cellar with perfect provenance: 2009 Domaine Debray St. Aubin “Les Pucelles” - (compare at $25-30+) To order: niki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to depart the cave – it will arrive in the late summer (please check OARS for local pick up after Sept 1st). It will ship during the Fall shipping season. Out of state orders will be held for free under ideal storage conditions (56 degrees/70%humidity) until shipping is possible. Locals may pick up at their leisure. For current local pick up and arrival/ship information, please see your OARS link below (at the bottom of this offer) - don’t know how to access your OARS? Simply click the link and see your account. You can also paste the link into your browser. If you are having trouble with your link or your account, please contact: support@garagistewine.com NO SALES TO RETAILERS OR WHOLESALERS Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Burg4588 Click here to view the status of your orders in O.A.R.S.