Saint-Aubin

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY, société De Corps et d’Esprit à Paris

The robe is a carbon copy of the Hautes-Côtes, although perhaps it’s even clearer and more translucent. Delicate pear and white peach on the nose, with a lot of finesse and hints of aniseed and dill; the wine is focused and very vertical, penetrating pure, fresh limestone rock; with occasional hints of lavender and violets, we inhale fresh air; a spring breeze carries with it small white flowers and new shoots from the vegetation; the palate is beautifully fruity and a little tonic, with a superb pear that you want to bite into, Granny Smith apple compote with bursts of ginger, white pepper, liquorice and juniper berry. The retro-olfaction is dynamic, the wine is alive and active, the taste buds are constantly stimulated by a vibrant acidity that keeps the flavours coming, the Granny is joined by a Reinette, the pear by a Reine Claude; a hint of cucumber like a Greek tzatziki; peppery grapes.

A perfect finish; tannins from the soil frame the body perfectly; very good length – the balance and maturation is masterful; notable length – when you think it’s almost done, it goes on a little longer…

This wine is so satisfying that it can be drunk now: pair with salmon gravlax; scallop carpaccio with fine herbs and rapeseed oil; sea bass tartare with a squeeze of lemon and shoots of lamb’s lettuce or spinach, or both; later, in two or three years’ time, sole meunière or any other fine grilled fish judiciously buttered. 92+/93

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY, société De Corps et d’Esprit à Paris

Very light gold robe, translucent and luminous, with subtle green highlights. A delicate nose; fruits with beautiful finesse such as Comice pears; almost airy; a very subtle white peach; precise limestone minerality that brings a real verticality to the aromatic elements; pretty and fragrant white flowers, full of charm, that blend ideally with white fruits; icing sugar, meringue, a delicate lactic note that sits among liquid cream, whipped cream, and cold butter in the Charentes-Poitou range, whole milk yogurt and panna cotta. Honey and lavender notes floating in the atmosphere; a hint of curcuma.
The palate exhibits wonderful volume; plenty of citrus fruits and in particular notes of oranges that seem larger than life; lime lying in ambush; acidic apple, somewhere between Reinette and Granny Smith; celery juice; a touch of black radish; energy and precision; fine herbs such as coriander and verbena; the coolness of a cucumber, the freshness of sucrine lettuce, the discreet bitterness of lamb’s lettuce.
Perfectly focused finish, incredibly direct; the body approaching surgical precision; almost tannic tension produced by the rock; remarkable persistence; leaves the palate clean, fresh; wanting more. Lay down this bottle for two or three years to complete the integration of the maturation process, which follows the path in which the wine expresses itself. Pan-fried scallops and leek fondue, white pudding and sweet potatoes, Queen’s morsel-style vol-au-vents.

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY, société De Corps et d’Esprit à Paris

This Saint-Aubin 2021 is a huge success; take note of the fine nose that at first appears very vertical; wax, honey, polish, but also rice pudding, cold milk and/or lassi with a touch of lemon; lots of fine herbs, chervil, dill, a touch of mint and the spicy odour of root ginger. The freshness of spring vegetation is evoked by a green salad that has been freshly washed, crisp grass and, when aerated, lavender is present. The limestone of the soil seems polished – like sculpted marble.
The palate, once again, is extremely juicy, with the fullness of fruit – mandarin, orange juice, apricot juice; carrot juice, but also the vegetal touch of the carrot tops. There is a strong empyreumatic element that ends, as it develops, in a stinging sensation like Chinese pepper; we also find another Asian link through notes of vinegared rice, saké, Chinese rose wine.
Intense finish, focused and grounded; the fire coming from that same soil can be detected, burning the tongue; good length. Makes you want to cook a pan of clams with a dash of white wine and some finely chopped chervil leaves; scallops would pair just as well.

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY, société De Corps et d’Esprit à Paris

A lighter robe with green highlights, just as luminous. Coming from a cooler terroir, the high level of sunshine of the vintage has obviously had less of an impact on Saint-Aubin – it is much less marked by the concentration of dried fruits typical of the vintage, in a slightly different way to the previous vintage. Aniseed, notes of coriander mixed with chervil, fresh mint; the presence of fresh limestone, running water and eucalyptus; white pepper; energy and precision; ginger powder and bird’s-eye chilli.
The palate is heavy with white fruit – pear and white peach, Reinette apple and a touch of Granny Smith; then citrus – lemon and pomelo, a touch of pineapple, a smidgen of mango; expressive, mouth-filling and delicious.
The finish is precise and focused, carried by the minerality of the soil, causing the taster to salivate and want to come back for more. This might have been a 2017 vintage, with its playful, energetic side, and ambiance of herbs, citrus fruits and spices so characteristic of its predecessor. Thanks to the careful maturation process, it is an extremely easy wine to pair – if drinking now, try with grilled fish with a touch of lemon, or fresh goat’s cheese; and in four or five years, a similar dish with a white butter sauce or a classic cheese like Reblochon.

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY, société De Corps et d’Esprit à Paris

The aromatic evolution over just a few minutes is spectacular which makes me write: No 2018 without half an hour in the decanter! Indeed, with an “incredible” start : dried fruits, hazelnut, pine nuts, rosin, beeswax, churn butter, cashew nuts, peanuts, nougat, Caussess honey, custard, aniseed, icing sugar……… one wonders whether it is a wine or a dessert and then, metamorphosis, gradual evolution towards freshness and precision. On the palate, the fresher soil offers faster white fruits, in particular a Comice pear, even if caramel and barley sugar are there too, then citrus fruits appear with lemon and mandarin, a lot of density in this wine. The peppery, spicy, tight, long and straight finish is adorned with a serious mineral component, yang, where notes of cast iron and crushed marble are evident. As you can see, the citrus-fruit and pastry-citrus fruit combinations deserve to be harmonized through a reasonably long ageing period, at least three years. Again, to be served with hot food, possibly spiced with tact (saffron, curry, nutmeg), a vintage more white meat than fish, you have the 2017 for brill, more Mont d’Or than goat in between.

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY, société De Corps et d’Esprit à Paris

Saint Aubin has not been left behind. Here we have more mineral, you can feel the presence of limestone, herbs, chervil and cut grass, eucalyptus, lavender, a hint of bergamot, a itching powder-gunpowder gum-side, alongside notes of rice-sake then white flowers, lily of the valley and daisies, acacia honey, delicate vanilla. Grape, pear, apple, citrus, herbs, elastic and juicy substance, a fountain of fleshy fruit, long, straight, loaded with fruit and peppery notes, a toasted note straight out of the ground, persistent, really complete.

Raphael GIMENEZ-FAUVETY, société De Corps et d’Esprit à Paris

This Saint-Aubin would be a wise purchase with its beautiful freshness and a nose composed of white fruits dominated by Williams and Comice pears, a hint of vanilla, of soft spices somewhere between turmeric, caraway and mild curry, with a touch of air, and purity. Openly fruity on the palate, with golden apple, pear and grape jelly, a peppery and strong finish with sincerity and a fine longevity.