Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Domaine Jean Monnier & Fils — Meursault “La Barre” 2022
Meursault, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France 🇫🇷

Overview
100% Chardonnay from La Barre, a named lieu-dit within Meursault. This is beautifully representative of what makes Meursault so compelling: refinement rather than excess, combining ripe fruit, mineral character, texture, and freshness in a wine that becomes progressively more expressive in the glass.

Aromas & Flavors
Ripe yellow apple, pear, lemon curd, and delicate stone fruit gradually emerge alongside crushed stone, subtle hazelnut, and restrained savory notes. Proper swirling really wakes it up, revealing considerably more complexity than the first pour suggests.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied, polished, and remarkably balanced. There is enough texture and breadth to unmistakably speak Meursault, yet the wine remains energetic and precise. The acidity beautifully carries the ripe yellow fruit into a long, elegant mineral finish.

Food Pairings
Seared scallops, Dover sole, lobster, turbot, roasted poultry, or a delicate mushroom risotto. This deserves refined cuisine rather than casual snacking, scallops would be absolutely superb.

Verdict
This is what Chardonnay from Meursault should taste like: refined, delicate, progressively flavorful, and sophisticated without becoming heavy. The balance between stony minerality, ripe yellow fruit, texture, and energy is the real showstopper.

Did You Know?
“La Barre” is a Meursault lieu-dit rather than a Premier Cru designation. That distinction is part of Burgundy’s fascination: named vineyard sites can possess a very specific identity even without Premier Cru status, allowing wines like this to offer a compelling glimpse into Meursault terroir.

🍷 Personal Pick
This one stole the show once it had enough air. The transformation from delicate and restrained to increasingly expressive was beautiful, with those stony notes and ripe yellow fruits becoming remarkably clear. Elegant, energetic, and deeply satisfying, exactly the sophisticated style of Chardonnay I want from Meursault. — 21 days ago

Christian Fischer

8.9

Decent. Refreshing acidic. Works well for lunch with fresh local fish — 5 years ago

Scott Soren

9.1

People love this. It’s a nice Pinot but i don’t get the fascination — 9 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.7

2012 CIRQ Estate Treehouse Pinot Noir. Michael Browne’s (of Kosta Browne) personal project which as I understand is an homage to the Summers he spent at a ‘Circus Camp’ in his youth. Treehouse is an amazing hilltop (stunning elevation) property in west Sonoma County with red, iron-rich soil surrounded by (say what?) coastal cypress trees. I had the pleasure of visiting, hosted by Damon Wong, and it's an amazing Vineyard. Unlike anything else I've ever seen. I can understand Michael's fascination with it. The wine: On the nose, red fruits, cedarbox, with notes of rhubarb and fennel. On the palate, pomegranate, kirsch, black tea, spices, roasted herbs along with hints of black truffles and white pepper. Beautiful texture. Lengthy finish. Classic expression of Pinot Noir. If I had to distinguish it from Kosta Browne from a flavor-perspective, I would say higher acidity and a bit of tannin give it a quality more accustom to Grand Cru Burgundy which is not bad company. I'm a fan. Congrats to Michael as well as his partner in this project, my friend Kenny Rochford, one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. — 9 years ago

WineCellarTV

9.6

Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier
1998 Musigny

Starts with the whole spectrum of red fruits - mostly red cherry and strawberry.
Fine perfume, earthy notes, fresh herbs, licorice spiciness and chalky minerality join the party.
Later with notes of sweetness and cookies. Intriguing while constantly evolving and best after 2+ hours in the decanter.
Light-weight and elegant, but very present on the palate with pure fruit, little herbal spiciness, earthy notes, autumn leaves and minerality. Fine acidity and delicate, yet present tannins prove youth and potential. An ultimately complex and fine wine where elegance and drive meet like in no other terroir. Showing the greatness of Musigny with purity, finesse and fascination. — 11 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Stunning and utterly singular. The nose is intensely mineral and almost impossible to categorize, with desiccated leaves, yellow fruit, green banana, plantain, wheat field, stones and crushed rock. The palate is opulent but incisive, with tremendous concentration, density and chew, almost carrying the structural energy of a red wine while remaining remarkably alive and fresh. The fruit is difficult to identify in any conventional way, which is part of the fascination, and the inner-mouth aromatics are thrilling. The finish is long, mineral and deeply resonant, with this uncanny honeycomb character, not honey itself, but almost the greatest ice-cream cone imaginable without the ice cream. Juicy, powerful, complex and beautiful in a way that feels unique in the world of wine. There is simply nothing else quite like Château Simone. — a month ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.2

I have a fascination and tend to like the wines from Corsica, a lot. It's been a while for this one at 9 years old but it is drinking beautifully now with room to go!

Really nice, like a hypothetical blend of a Chianti Classico and a Bandol Rouge. Darker with no bricking yet so it's holding up very well for 9 years of age. The nose and palate are very expressive with red and blue fruits, spice, and a nice tension from the acidity that keeps things fresh, while the fruit and spice abound. Slightly more than medium in body, tannin and acidity, the alcohol is med+ on the label but tastes integrated. Nose, palate and finish are med+. All in harmony here and has another 5+ easy. — 4 years ago

Chris Durall

9.0

Foreign Objects Brewing “Fascination Street” DDH IPA 7.5% ABV — 8 years ago

Henrik Poulsen

9.6

Inspired by a recent posting here I popped and shared this with friends that much like I have deviated from "The 100 pts. fascination".

Certainly a very impressive wine it is also a bit predictable what it takes these days to garner that perfect rating from a certain palate. — 9 years ago

with Leo and Kurt-Inge

Michelle P. Dupic

9.2

Crisp white for Saturday in July — 10 years ago

with Shefali, Chad and 1 other

Ryan Vachon

9.0

Super fascination wine for the new world. Earth, fruit, dry, light but bold. Not overly complex but complex enough to make it extremely intriguing. — 11 years ago

Stuart Gregor

9.2

Gosh this was delicious. Mencia is my new fascination. Great value too. Try it — 12 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2022 Sketch pours a bright straw color with medium viscosity. On the nose, the wine is youthful with fascination notes of white and yellow flowers, nettles, lemon, strawberry, orange pith, hot steel, wet stone, and oh the minerals! On the palate, the wine is dry with high acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is so long and ever so saline. This was my first bottle of Sketch (finally!) which has been a bit of a unicorn wine for me. I’ve long had a deep respect for Raul Pérez but this wine has confirmed a special place reserved in my heart for him. They say once bitten… Drink now through 2039. — 2 years ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.5

Alas, my last bottle of this wine…
Rich but cool in texture. Not hot nor jammy. Wonderful balance. Fresh black fruit, touches of black olive, damp earth, dark chocolate and black pepper.
Have followed this particular wine and vintage for over 12 years now, and I loved every bottle for its balance, complexity, hedonism and ability to deliver FUN!
Excellent QPR, as well.
Shafer’s Relentless, SQN, Bedrock and Lillian were my introduction to, and jumpstarted my fascination for, American Syrah back then…. and I am so glad to say that many more bottles and labels have found their way into my cellar. 🖤 — 4 years ago

Michael Meyer

9.2

Continuing my fascination with Alto Piemonte... — 7 years ago

erto l

9.0

anyone asks me about the burgandy nose, gonna point them here. mouthfeel a bit on the meaty side and kept tannin inline. good bottle to wean the CCCC (callie cult cab crew) off their unholy fascination... or not, as who wants more competition for burgs;-) — 9 years ago

Manya Perkins

10

Amazing. Depth of flavor, subtlety, and fascination in a bottle. — 10 years ago

Amy Currens

Sommelier/Wine Director FarmShop

8.9

Definitely needs time to open giving it a chance to offer a fascination of complexity not unlike some Joly's I've enjoyed. Go Chenin! — 10 years ago

Barry Roffer

9.1

Dry and nice — 11 years ago

Angel Martinez

Brand ambassador GHMumm Spain, Wine reviewer www.theluxury.es"

9.6

Deep love and fascination for everything related to Selosse #JacquesSelosse #Initial #Champagne — 11 years ago