2022 at Francois Buffet
– Equal to d’Angerville, Lafarge, Jean-Marc Bouley and Comte Armand
– Another Leap in Quality
– Brisset Is More About Elegance…
– …but for Pure Pleasure, You Cannot Beat these Wines At This Price
2022 Francois Buffet Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru “Les Vergelesses”
– 90-93 Points, Burghound (2021)
– Qualitatively As Good As 1er Cru Wines from Top Red Wine AOCs
– It Has That Elite Level Purity and Balance
– Nose: Gorgeous, Deep, Vivid and Focused
– Mid Season Cherries, Dark Cherries Black Cherries
– Terrific Mineral Tones, Earth Tones
– Absolute Clarity and Cleanliness
– The Nose of Elite Appellations (Vosne / Chambolle)
– Terrific Palate
– Incredible Inner Mouth Aromas
– Cherry Flower, Cherry Compote, Cherry Spice
– Sour Cherries, Sweet Red Cherries –
– Great Cut
– Precise
– Gorgeous Purity and Unending Length
– Awesome Mineral Wash
– Stunning Purity and Length
– Ridiculously Intense Sweet Fruit
– Compare at $55 (We Are $45.99)
The 2022 Vintage
It’s time to talk about the 2022 red Burgundies of Francois Buffet. First of all Buffet has been on fire since 2019. 19/20/21 are 3 back to back back vintages in a row that can compete with any 3 back to back to back vintages from anywhere in Burgundy. But how could 22 be better? Because it was and Buffet has made another leap in quality. The 22s are astonishing wines and the best set of Cote de Beaune reds I have ever tasted. It’s like a masterclass in the Cote de Beaune from Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru “Les Narbantons” to Volnay 1er Cru “Clos des Chenes.”
The wines are sensual which is the first word that comes to mind. Each sniff and smell elicits an emotional reaction.
– They have elite aromatics that have clarity not seen before in the wines of Buffet.
– The detail is remarkable.
– The texture is about as good as it gets for the Cote de Beaune which combined with the sensual and melty tannins makes each sip that make the drinker have an emotional reaction.
It’s now one of those estates that when you take a sip and sniff all you can think and talk about is how great the wines are. From bottom to top Buffet slayed the dragon and now has to be considered at the top of the pile in the Cote de Beaune.
Equal to d’Angerville, Lafarge, Jean-Marc Bouley and Comte Armand.
Buffet has arrived and to give me a pat on the back I found them when they were not critically acclaimed and now they have other importers and are now allocated. Which brings me to the next point.
We All Thought We Knew Pernand Vergelesses … We Were Wrong
“The Hall of Very Good” is an expression for a baseball player who is very good but not quite good enough to be in the Hall of Fame. And to be honest, Pernand Vergelesses has produced wines that, at their best, fit in this category. And to be clear, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Pernand has been one of the last true value plays (through 3 tier at least) and that is a great thing.
Today, I’m offering a Pernand that can proudly stand beside its more well regarded brethren (Volnay, Pommard, Chambolle) and make its case for the Hall of Fame.
This joins a list of wines from Burgundy that have blown me away and greatly exceed expectations
– a 1999 Joseph Roty Marsannay “Les Ouzeloy” in 2006 that just floored me.
– the 2018 Pierre Brisset Bourgogne Blanc “Cuvee Cassaneas”
– the 2018/2019 and 2020 Pierre Brisset Bourgogne Rouge.
Today a new wine has entered that legendary status.
The 2022 Francois Buffet Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru “Les Vergelesses” for $45.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. I was floored by this wine. I was not expecting it to be this good. Also It is $55 at one other source on wine-searcher.
When I had it, I immediately emailed Marc-Olivier Buffet and begged for more and got some as I need all of you to have this wine. At this price, the value cannot be beat.
The 2022 Francois Buffet Pernand-Vergelesses “Les Vergelesses” is the best Pernand I’ve ever had and I’ve had a lot. As soon as I opened it and stuck my nose in the glass I was floored. It had that unmistakable depth and purity that one gets only in super special wines. This was and is a benchmark in my wine career. I only had a small allocation until I tasted it. It is a privilege and honor to be able to sell a wine this profound for such a fair price. I recently had a new customer start with us and I asked why he is shopping with us and he said that you are, according to my friend one of the last if not the last places in America to sell elite Burgundy at a fair price. I think that’s one of the greatest compliments I have ever had in all my years in the wine business.
Gorgeous, deep, vivid and focused nose of mid season cherries, dark cherries and black cherries. So well defined, vivid and clear. This really captures the 2020 fruit so perfectly. Nose also has terrific mineral tones and earth tones. What makes this the best Pernand i’ve ever had is the absolute clarity and cleanliness of the aromas. They are so well defined and just so vivid. This is only something one gets in much more elite appellations like Vosne Romanee or Chambolle Musigny.
On day 2, nose is dusty and earthy. Super sappy / super cherry, damson and violets. Palate is mega juicy and super pure with crazy depth. Such fine tannins. Perfect balance. Masterful. Terrific power and depth while remaining elegant. Stunning.
Terrific palate. Incredible inner mouth aromas. Juicy and full of freshness, sour cherries, sweet red cherries and tons of acid. Again on the palate as is reflected on the nose is the clarity, vividness and depth of fruit. You can only get this from the most perfectly ripened fruit and insane attention in the vineyard to get that fruit. Crunchy palate with great cut and precise like the finest diamond in the world. Insane energy and it’s so so linear. Man, this is well made and so sleek. The complexity is incredible. Earth, mineral and so much fruit and sap. Gorgeous purity and unending length with loads of cherry flower, cherry compote and wonderful echo of high quality limestone on the finish. The piercing quality of the ridiculously intense sweet fruit combined with the sweetness (yes more sweetness) and freshness is just remarkable. Amazing texture and length. This is Grand Cru in every way shape or form. Remarkable value here. Stunning purity and length. Lovely licorice lines the finish. A Burg lover’s dream. Sensational wine and wonderful to see what Buffet does outside of Volnay and Pommard. Awesome mineral wash on the finish full of freshness and acid. How is this a 9.5? I gave this 95 points which I’ve never given a Pernand that much. But it is. Stunning wine and classical structure that invites a decade plus of aging. Will this go to a 96 points in the future?
“A pure, cool and ultra-fresh nose speaks mostly of various red berries along with touch of earth and underbrush. There is equally good freshness and verve to the utterly delicious middleweight flavors that are almost aggressively saline in character, all wrapped in a balanced, linear and solidly persistent finale.” – 90-93 Burghound (2021)
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 with your order if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
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