2012 Puligny-Montrachet, Les Referts, 1er Cru, Domaine Jacques Carillon

Domaine Jacques Carillon

The Carillon family has been making wine in the village of Puligny-Montrachet since the 16th century, beginning with Jehan Carillon, who was a vintner in Puligny in 1520.

After completing his studies at the winemaking school in Beaune, France, Jacques Carillon joined his father in the family vineyard in 1980. His specializations include winemaking and marketing.

In 2010, Jacques and his wife Sylvia founded the Jacques Carillon vineyard with 5.25 hectares of vines, primarily in the village of Puligny-Montrachet.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.

Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.

Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.