Laisse Tomber? I Say All Rise!

Demand for Burgundy wines is tremendous, and the interest in new names is equally great, perhaps even greater.

This increases the focus on finding new talents – truly new talents; people who can rock the boat and produce great wines from lesser terroirs and/or make interesting wines from negociant grapes.

Bastian Wolber is such a talent, although he just started out full-time with the 2022 vintage, having produced a “bit” of wine in the 2021, 2020, and 2019 vintages.

Bastian Wolber’s negociant business is called Laisse Tomber (meaning more or less “drop it,” but do your own interpretation). It reflects both humour and a will to challenge the world with new and exciting wines on Burgundy’s edge, the fascinating and challenging edge where great stuff is being made.

German origins

Bastian Wolber is, as his name suggests, originally from Germany. He was born in Staufen im Breisgau.

Bastian’s introduction to Burgundy came through his younger brother Christoph, who worked at some of the more prominent Burgundy estates. It was during Bastian’s visits to his brother in Burgundy that his passion for the region (and also the Jura) was born.

After doing harvests with Rudolph Trossen in the Mosel and Jean-Marc Dreyer in Alsace, Bastian found himself apprenticing at Ganevat in the Jura. Sadly, he broke his hand in a skateboard crash and had to leave Ganevat.

He returned to Germany and purchased organically farmed grapes from France and Germany, vinifying them at Wasenhaus at his brother Christoph’s estate, which he co-founded with Alexander Götze.

Bastian named his project “Laisse Tomber” – literally “let it fall,” a reference to the accident that started his winemaking adventure, instead of fulfilling his dream of working with Ganevat.

Laisse Tomber started out as a German project, first making wine in Baden. It has now expanded over the border to Burgundy, where Bastian found himself working for Jean-Yves Bizot, yet still expanding his production of wines made from bought organic or even biodynamic grapes from Burgundy, Alsace, and Germany.

His influences have been many, but to my palate, Jean-Yves Bizot has left a strong impression on Bastian Wolber, whose first full vintage, 2022, shows a talent finding its focus.

After sharing a cellar in Auxey-Duresses with Chris Santini (Santini Frères), Jonathan Purcell (Vin Noé), and Morgane Seuillot & Christian Knott (Domaine Dandelion) in 2020, Wolber has now moved to Volnay, where he has a small estate above Pousse d’Or.

You need to login as a Premium subscriber to read the rest of this article. If you are not a Premium Subscriber, use the subscribe function and sign-up.