“Laisse Tomber” literally means “let it fall” in French, but for Bastian Wolber it became a manifesto: accept the accident, follow the fruit, and make the most honest, transparent wines you can from whatever great terroir life puts in front of you.
The Accident That Started It All
Ask most Burgundy producers how they began and you’ll hear about family land or studied ambition. Bastian Wolber’s story is different: it starts with an accident. As he tells it in interviews, he had no intention of starting his own label when a batch of grapes he was working with didn’t go where it was supposed to—he “let it fall,” vinified the fruit anyway, and the result was far better than anyone expected.
That moment became both the name and the philosophy of his project: “Laisse Tomber”—let go, accept what the vintage brings, and respond with precision rather than manipulation. It also marked the point where he began stepping out of the background. Before launching Laisse Tomber, Bastian had already built a serious CV: time at Domaine Leflaive in Burgundy, harvests in the Mosel and Alsace, and experience with Enderle & Moll in Baden, one of Germany’s most respected low‑intervention Pinot Noir producers.
Today, the Laisse Tomber project is based in the Côte de Beaune, with earlier vintages made in Baden and Auxey‑Duresses, and later work in cellars around Volnay. The domaine has grown to roughly 2 hectares of vines, including Pinot Noir, Gamay, Riesling and Aligoté, with purchased fruit from carefully chosen sites in Alsace and southwestern Germany supplementing the estate parcels.
Between German forest‑lined slopes, Alsatian hilltops and Burgundian limestone, this is a micro‑label that moves fluidly across borders—but always returns to the same core idea: pin‑point clarity, low extraction, no cosmetic winemaking.
A Winemaker Between Worlds: Baden, Alsace and the Côte de Beaune
To understand the style of the Laisse Tomber wines, it helps to see where Bastian comes from—and the terroirs he works with now.
He trained in Burgundy with Domaine Leflaive, one of the region’s benchmarks for Chardonnay and biodynamics, and then spent harvests in the Mosel and Alsace, learning what extreme tension and precision look like in Riesling. Back in Baden, he absorbed the philosophy of wines like Enderle & Moll’s Pinot Noir: low yields, minimal extraction, lengthy élevage and a willingness to let fine tannin and acidity sit in the foreground if that’s what the vintage demands.
By 2019–2021, Laisse Tomber had become a nomadic Burgundy‑and‑beyond project: 2019 wines were made in Baden, 2020 in Auxey‑Duresses, and 2021 in Volnay, with the base of operations now in the Côte de Beaune. Along the way, Bastian picked up and secured parcels and fruit sources that now define the range:
-
Pinot Noir on cooler slopes in Baden and Burgundy
-
Riesling on high‑altitude, stony sites in Bernardvillé, Alsace
-
Other small lots (Gamay, Aligoté) that appear in micro‑cuvées and experimental bottlings
This cross‑regional perspective is what makes the Laisse Tomber wines so distinctive: they are not “natural Burgundy” or “German Pinot” in the usual sense, but a conversation between places, filtered through one mind and one very consistent set of choices in the cellar.
In the Cellar: Low Intervention, High Precision
The technical choices behind Laisse Tomber are almost aggressively simple—because the point is not to showcase technique, but to stay out of the way.
Producer and agency notes describe a low‑intervention approach: organic or sustainably farmed fruit, hand harvesting, gentle whole‑cluster use depending on the vintage and site, native fermentations, and élevage in older barrels rather than lots of new oak. There is no recipe for whole‑bunch percentage; some cuvées see significant stem inclusion for aromatic lift and structure, others are mostly destemmed when stems feel too raw. Sulfur use is minimal and timed late, with bottling often done without fining or filtration when clarity and stability allow.
The result is wines that sit at the intersection of classicism and the new, low‑intervention Burgundy aesthetic:
-
Color tends to be lighter and translucent rather than inky.
-
Texture emphasizes fine tannin and saline acidity more than sweetness of fruit.
-
Aromatics lean into herbal, floral and savory notes (rose, spice, forest floor, citrus pith) rather than just primary fruit.
In short: deliberately not crowd‑pleasing on first sip, but deeply rewarding for drinkers who crave detail and tension.
The Laisse Tomber Wines at Symbolic Wines
From everything Bastian makes, we chose the cuvées that best express this “let it fall—but with precision” ethos and that work in a serious cellar alongside Burgundy, Jura, and cool‑climate California. Below are the Laisse Tomber bottlings currently in our portfolio, with direct links to each product page.
Bastian Wolber “Laisse Tomber” Spätburgunder 2023
The Spätburgunder 2023 is Bastian’s German‑side Pinot Noir: grown in Baden, shaped by a climate that can give both ripeness and lift, and vinified with the same feather‑light touch he applies in Burgundy. According to the estate and merchant notes, this is a “finely crafted Pinot Noir with a distinctly artisanal, terroir‑driven character,” showing clarity of fruit, fine red‑berry precision, and a long, saline finish rather than weight or oak.
Aromatically, you can expect: red cherry and wild strawberry, subtle spice, rose, and a whisper of earth, a hint of herbal and mineral tones that tie it back to its cooler hillside origins.
On the palate, the 2023 Spätburgunder is described as medium‑bodied, finely grained, and linear, with tannins that feel more like a framework than a wall. It is the kind of wine that can work with food where heavier Pinots or New World reds would dominate—think roasted poultry, charcuterie, grilled trout, or mushroom dishes.
Bastian Wolber “Laisse Tomber” Bourgogne Côte d’Or Blanc 2022
If the Baden Spätburgunder is Bastian’s German‑side Pinot, the Bourgogne Côte d’Or Blanc 2022 is his clearest statement in white Burgundy form. The fruit comes from the heart of the Côte d’Or, and merchants consistently frame this cuvée as a concentrated but finely etched Chardonnay that behaves more like a small‑production village wine than a generic regional bottling.
Tasting notes from specialist retailers describe ripe citrus, white peach and faint stone‑fruit notes layered over chalky minerality, with judicious oak that feels more like a frame than a flavor. The texture is where Bastian’s background really shows: the wine is tightly structured, with mouthwatering acidity and a long, saline finish, rather than broad or creamy. Think of it as a Côte d’Or blanc drawn with a finer pencil—precise enough to pour alongside serious Chablis or lean Meursault, but with its own quietly intense personality.
Bastian Wolber “Laisse Tomber” Savigny‑lès‑Beaune 2023
The Savigny‑lès‑Beaune 2023 brings Bastian’s sensibility into one of the Côte de Beaune’s most characterful red appellations. According to producer and merchant information, the fruit comes from the Dessus Les Vermots climat—an elevated, cooler site that naturally gives more tension and aromatic lift to Pinot Noir.
Descriptions highlight red cherries, cranberries and wild strawberries with notes of rose petal, subtle spice and a touch of forest floor, all rendered in a translucent, almost weightless register. On the palate the wine is medium‑bodied, fresh and fine‑boned, with Savigny’s hallmark of slightly savory, herbal edges carried by very pure fruit. It feels like a conversation between place and maker: the structure and earthiness you expect from Savigny, plus the gentle extraction, whole‑cluster perfume and restraint that define Laisse Tomber. This is exactly the kind of bottle that rewards being served slightly cool, in large Burgundy stems, with time in the glass.
Bastian Wolber “Laisse Tomber” Bourgogne Blanc 2022
If the Côte d’Or Blanc is about concentrated Chardonnay from prime addresses, the Bourgogne Blanc 2022 is Bastian’s study in nuance and sourcing. As one importer notes, this wine is made from the white fruit of his Pommard and Volnay parcels, effectively a declassified Côte de Beaune blend disguised under a regional label. That alone makes it more serious than the name suggests.
Tasting impressions circulating in the trade describe a lithe, mineral‑driven white with lemon zest, green apple, crushed chalk and a faint hazelnut note that feels more soil‑ than oak‑derived. The palate is described as taut, linear and quietly intense, with acidity that pulls everything forward and a fine, almost saline bitterness on the finish that keeps you coming back. In a cellar context, this is the kind of wine that slots beautifully between Chablis and lean Côte d’Or, and that you can open without ceremony on a Tuesday—but that will absolutely hold its own in a lineup of more famous names.
Bastian Wolber “Laisse Tomber” Volnay 2022
Volnay is all about finesse over force, and Bastian’s Volnay 2022 leans into that reputation rather than fighting it. Social and merchant coverage of the cuvée emphasizes a feather‑light extraction and a very Volnay‑like aromatic profile: violets, rose petals, small red berries, a hint of sweet spice and fine, chalk‑dust minerality.
On the palate, 2022 is described as silky and airy, with very fine tannins and a long, perfumed finish, the kind of texture that comes from trusting the fruit and not forcing color or body. It is a style that will speak to people who love the more ethereal side of producers like Lafarge or d’Angerville: not because it copies them, but because it shares the same priority—letting Volnay be Volnay. In our range, this is the wine you reach for when you want something that is unquestionably Burgundy, but with the new‑school clarity that defines Laisse Tomber.
Bastian Wolber “Laisse Tomber” Volnay 2023
The Volnay 2023 continues the same thread but in a different vintage register. Early trade notes suggest 2023 brings a touch more juiciness and immediate charm than 2022, without losing the house style of restraint and detail. Aromatics lean slightly darker—red cherry shading into raspberry and a hint of plum, with florals that feel more peony than rose and just a touch more spice.
Structurally, the wine is still fine and lifted, but with a slightly rounder mid‑palate, reflecting the vintage conditions. Think of 2023 as the slightly more extroverted sibling: still precise, still light on its feet, but a little more willing to show fruit early. For a buyer building a micro‑vertical of Laisse Tomber Volnay, the 2022–2023 pair is particularly interesting: same hand, same sites, two different expressions of Volnay over two contrasting years.
Bastian Wolber “Laisse Tomber” Pommard 2023
If Volnay is about perfume, Pommard is about structure—and Bastian’s Pommard 2023 is where his low‑intervention approach meets a more muscular terroir. Merchant profiles from Burgundy‑focused specialists show Pommard as one of the core sources of red fruit for Laisse Tomber, feeding both this village bottling and the Bourgogne Blanc via the white grapes from the same parcels.
In red form, 2023 Pommard is described as offering darker, more savory Pinot: black cherry and damson, with notes of iron, earth and subtle bitter chocolate underneath the fruit. Tannins are naturally firmer than in Volnay, but Bastian’s touch keeps them fine‑grained and elongated rather than chunky, with acidity providing lift and making sure the wine never feels heavy.
For a serious cellar, this is the Laisse Tomber wine that can sit next to more classical Pommard producers and still hold its own, while bringing a slightly different, more transparent interpretation of what Pommard power looks like in a new generation’s hands.
Why These Wines Belong in a Serious Cellar
From a Symbolic Wines perspective, we didn’t bring in Laisse Tomber because it’s trendy; we chose it because it slots into a very specific role in a serious collection.
-
A human story that matches the wines
-
Bastian’s path—from Leflaive to Mosel and Alsace, from Baden to the Côte de Beaune—shows in the glass. These are wines made by someone who has seen multiple reference points for precision and tension, and decided to stay on that edge rather than drift toward comfort and polish.
-
-
Micro‑scale, macro‑attention
-
With roughly 2 hectares in production and fruit from carefully chosen sites, Laisse Tomber is tiny in volume compared with most Burgundy producers. Yet, writers like Winehog have already singled out Bastian as “a talented new voice” in Burgundy and beyond, noting the combination of delicacy, structure and energy in his Pinot Noirs. That is the kind of asymmetry we look for: very small supply, very high critical and insider interest.
-
-
A precise counterpoint to classic Burgundy and California
-
In the context of our broader range—First Growth Bordeaux, top Right Bank, serious Napa and Sonoma, blue‑chip Burgundy—Laisse Tomber plays a specific role: it resets your palate. These wines are about lightness, salinity and transparency rather than opulence; they sit closer to Jura, low‑intervention Burgundy and high‑altitude European Pinot than to plush, oak‑driven styles.
-
-
Built for medium‑term cellaring, not just early‑drinking
-
Notes from importers and specialists suggest that the best Laisse Tomber wines can happily age 5–10 years, gaining complexity without losing their definition. That makes them real cellar candidates, not just “natural wines to drink in the first 18 months.”
-
In other words, if your collection already includes the big names and big structures, Bastian Wolber’s Laisse Tomber wines are the quiet, precise counterpoint: bottles that reward attention, open up slowly in the glass, and remind you that the most memorable wines sometimes start with something as simple—and as risky—as letting go and seeing what happens next.
Sources: Symbolic Wines, Becky Wasserman & Co., Winehog, The Fine Wine Experience, Chambers Street Wines, Burgundy Cave, Burgundy Cave Taiwan, The Wang, Gallienoteca, Wine-searcher, Instagram.
Pictures: AI generated
