No Paris visit for me is complete without a visit to IDS. I have of course written about IDS many, many times. While Royal targets the entire kosher market from a price perspective, IDS’s strategy is to produce wines that target the high-end primarily, though a number of medium-end but extremely well-made wines are released each year as well. Their track record over the last decade has been impressive. This is in no small part due to Ben Uzan, who took over day to day operations of their wine business around the same time. Since then, the company has expanded significantly, and quality has been truly outstanding and consistent.

Unfortunately, the IDS big wines of 2022 (and there are quite a few including Smiith Haute Laffite, Lafon Rochet, Domaine Chevalier Red & White, etc.) were not released in time for our trip and so we had a relatively small number of wines to catch up with since the last time David Raccah (of Kosher Wine Musings fame) and I visited. Here are my notes:

N.V. Maison Jeeper, Luxe, Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Champagne – 12% abv – We tasted the “standard releases” of the Jeeper line during our last tasting, and they were excellent. I was really interested in knowing what if anything they would be able to improve. So we started out by going through the technical differences between the wines. For the Luxe, the grapes come from a single dedicated plot, as opposed to the multiple plots that the standard release is made from. In addition, the dosage is 8gm per liter, as opposed to 9gm on the standard release and the liquor for the dosage is sourced from Grand Crus plots. The wine otherwise is 100% Chardonnay (primarily 2020 with some 2022) just like the Standard “Grand Reserve” release. What you get on the nose is a ton of rich bread and yeast followed very nice apple and pear. Very mellow, very nice. In the mouth, you get acid that pierces through that preserved thick yeast, giving it the needed balance. You get nice apple, pear, lemon curd, citrus, crème fraiche, nice grassy notes, and even a hint of mineral lurking in the background. The body here is creamy with the small bubbles of the mousse really adding to the experience. I love how the whole vibe of this wine is both mellow and yet refreshing. Very nice indeed, and I would say a touch better than the “standard” release. 92.5

N.V. Maison Jeeper, Luxe, Brut, Grand Rosé, Champagne – 12% abv – Here too, let’s talk about the differences between the “standard” release and the Luxe. The standard release is a blend of 78% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir and 12% Rouge d’Ambonnay, while the Luxe is 93% Chardonnay and 7% Rouge d’Ambonnay. Off the bat let me say, this is a special wine. Let start with the nose – it is both tart and bright with notes of tart raspberry and creamy at the same time, with the same rich, yeasty, brioche bready notes you find in the Luxe BdB. There is also a clear oxidative note that gives this wine some unique character without harming the tart freshness of the wine. On top of all that, you get a nice line of mineral that runs the length of this wine that I have never encountered before — at least in kosher Champagnes and sparkling wines. In fact the only time I remember even reading about minerality in Champagne is in the notes on the famous Krug champagne. The mouth here is really, really nice – with wonderful tart, yet ripe red raspberry, apple, pear, and wonderful rich near sweet citrus in layers of crème fraiche and rich yeasty brioche – with that line of mineral running throughout. Wow! This wine is a knockout! It is also unique, as I said. Often times, that is enough to make it a must have for me (something that will come up again in my last post on this France trip, as we tasted a couple of other unique wines as part of the Hotel tastings). This is a wine that I think any wine geek should try and taste – and ANYONE who loves sparkling wine will find super-enjoyable (outside of the price)! In any event, the score is an eye-popping 93!

2023 Château Sainte Marguerite, Cuvée Fantastique, Rosé, Cru Classe, Côtes de Provence – 13% abv – This wine is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Cinsault, and 10% Rolle – You have a very clean nose with primarily bitter savoy orange and sweet clementine, some strawberry and raspberry that follows and finishes with some nectarine. In the mouth, you get a touch of sweet citrus up front followed by apricot, nectarine, savoy orange, some strawberry, and some really nice slate.  The acid here does a good job of balancing out the fruit. My only issue is with the finish, which is a bit shorter than I would have liked. 90+

2023 Château Sainte Marguerite, Cuvée Fantastique, Blanc, Cru Classe, Côtes de Provence – 13.5% abv – This wine is 100% Rolle (or Vermentino as it is known elsewhere). On the nose, you get nice firm yet ripe stone fruit and nice smokey flinty minerally slate. You really feel that mineral on the nose.  There is a really nice mouthfeel, derived from the 6-9 months this spent in new oak – which in this case lifts the wine without overpowering it. The mouth is nectarine and pear primarily with a bit of floral notes. The acid is just enough to balance this all out. The finish is long and balanced with mineral and smoke coming through. Really nice stuff! 91.5

2022 Château Sainte Marguerite, Cuvée Fantastique, Rouge, Cru Classe, Côtes de Provence – 13.5% abv – This wine is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. The nose here is smokey and funky with hints of char that envelop the blue and black fruit. Really intoxicating. On the mouth, you get rich blue and black fruit – blueberry, blackberry, and black plum with hints of black pepper. The profile is close to Rhone (though not as dense/rich) and really speaks to me. The problem again here is on the finish, which is on the shorter side and prevents this wine from shooting to the next level. It’s still very nice. 91

2022 Château Trianon, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – 14.5% abv – This is the only 2022 wine that IDS has released thus far. On the nose, Saint Emillion shines with clear influences of Cabernet Franc – with nice herb, spice, and dark red and black fruit. In the mouth, you get very ripe yet controlled dark red cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant, and black plum with great minerality. The tannins are nice and firm and mouth coating. The acidity does a nice job of balancing out the rich dark plush profile. The finish is long and concentrated with cherry, herb, more mineral, and tar. Overall, this is a very nice wine and a solid 92.

2021 Virginie de Valendraud, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – 14% abv – On the nose, you get nice earthy mineral and dark red and black fruit. In the mouth, you get black plum, cherry, blackberry, and raspberry, all wrapped up in dense rich earth, mineral, and mouth-coating tannin. I was a bit worried about how a ’21 would show next to a ’22, but as with almost all of the IDS ‘21’s, this wine really bucked most of the general ’21 trends. The wine shows almost no green at all, let alone jalapeno. Where ’21 does show is that you would expect it to feel more full bodied with this kind of profile, and this wine comes off a bit too lean (though not thin at all).The acid is just enough to work here with the profile – and in this case, the leanness helps, because if it were heavier, there would not be enough acid. Having said that, I would simply like it to be both a bit fuller bodied with more acid. Still a nice wine overall. 91

My thanks as always to Ben Uzan and the wonderful folks at IDS for sharing these wines – and looking forward to tasting those ‘22s!