Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru

This exemplifies Vougeraie’s enthusiasm for its 2016 whites. W here nature was kind, there is an ideal marriage of volume of fruit and flavour, and a very special cut of minerality, helped by an almost problem-free harvest and ferment. There is lovely, plump, characterful fruit, with blossom and acacia, all surfing to the finish on the wine’s energy. Nature was not so kind for the yield, which is down 40 percent. Drink 2020-2024.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Based in Premeaux, just south of Nuits-St Georges, Domaine de la Vougeraie was created in 1999 when Jean-Claude Boisset decided to group together all the vineyard holdings of the various négociant companies he had acquired over the years. Pascal Marchand was put in charge in 1999, with Bernard Zito in the vineyards, which are farmed biodynamically. Pascal produced powerful wines, fairly heavily extracted in his early vintages but clearly moving to a softer style by 2004. The wines have subsequently been made by Pierre Vincent who has maintained the more delicate approach. Top-quality vineyards continue to be added, especially Grand Cru whites in recent vintages. This is Pierre Vincent’s last vintage, as he is now installed at Domaine Leflaive. Vougeraie is very happy with this year’s result, another domaine to call the vintage “très Bourguigonne”, meaning that the precision and purity of the fruit means this is more terroir-focused than 2015’s broader and more intense style. They are also very happy with the way the frosted and non-frosted vines finally ripened homogenously, giving much of the credit to their biodynamic culture. Given the health of the berries, a lot of whole bunches were used at fermentation.

At the same height as Le Montrachet, and with vines on the southern edge of the vineyard, this really is a mini Grand Cru. There is something effortless about its precision this year, enhanced by the domaine ’s decision to reduce its exposure to the lees, allowing the wine’s salinity to find better expression. Very fine indeed, with swirling hints of slate and citrus. Drink 2020-2030.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Domaine de Montille was developed by Hubert de Montille (1930-2014), a prominent Dijon lawyer, who inherited 2.5 hectares of vineyards in Volnay in 1947. Over the years he acquired further parcels in Volnay, Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets. Today the business is run by his son Étienne who has extended the domaine by purchases of vineyards in Beaune, Corton and the Côte de Nuits, including some marvellous Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and the red wines are increasingly vinified with whole bunches. Following the splendid successes here in 2015, this vintage provides a contrast in style, but with reasons to buy that are just as compelling. Volumes are down in certain appellations and winemaking has been tempered to release more of the vintage’s purity of fruit and definition of terroir. Use of whole bunches for the reds continues, but not by rote, with proportions being adjusted according to each cuvée ’s requirements.

In the glass this is pale and clear with a light green tint. It has a lovely nervous tension, with fresh bright fruit and a great sense of precision. There are lemons, some plums and also white flowers – lots of detail here – before the long, fine, distinguished finish.

The progress we noted with the 2013 vintage here has been further developed with an excellent range of 2014 wines. Extra details apparent this year are the enhanced use of lees after racking and the minimal use of sulphur without risking oxidation. The Château de Puligny rises a further few notches up the ladder. Étienne de Montille notes that, in 2014, “there was super clean fruit and we could pick at leisure”.

Dominique’s only white Premier Cru has a very clean, clear colour with the same crystalline purity on the nose, a little gunflint reduction, and lots of detail to the fruit. A wine of star-like brilliance, this is very linear, extremely persistent, lifted and lovely.

Production of the Dominique Lafon wines has now moved to large cellars at the Château de Bligny, providing much better working conditions than previously. As a result of the hail, there is unlikely to be any village Volnay or Beaune Épenottes for us to offer. However, Dominique has found an excellent source of Beaune Vignes Franches this year to make up part of the shortfall. This cuvée apart, all the vineyards are managed by the Les Héretiers du Comte Lafon viticultural team, using the same methods. Starting this year, the wines will all be bottled using Diam30 corks.

lively, stimulating, mineral bouquet: very stylish, with superb backbone through the middle, long and fine, accompanying a mix of different fruits, which are more white than yellow.

Jean-Baptiste liked the fruit and the flesh of his 2014s from the start, but since October he feels that the structure and sense of class have become apparent. He was happily surprised to find such regular, healthy fruit despite the hail, and, apart from the size of the crop, there was no discernible difference between the hailed vineyards and the others. Overall his crop was 40 percent below a normal year, and 10 percent below 2013, so his pricing this year is eminently fair.

Pale lemon-yellow, the nose has some straw notes, along with a bit of fruit, lots of energy and a saline – almost oyster shell – touch to it, showing the hillside location. This is really charming, and could almost be mistaken in style for a really fine Chablis.

Overall yields were better than Antoine feared in 2014, but some of his vineyards, including those used for his Bourgogne Blanc and Meursault En la Barre as well as part of Poruzots, were particularly badly hit by the hail. He picked from 13th September and has made his usual range of outstanding, ageworthy wines which will not be bottled until next summer. The secret to his style is not clarifying the juice out of the press, and no stirring of the lees.

This had just been racked, so was not yet clear. Quite a pale colour; the wine has a gentle, discreet nose, beautiful fruit, good ripeness, with multi-layered Cailleret minerals and graceful, dancing fruit all the way to the finish. This should grow into a truly fabulous wine.

Étienne de Montille began picking whites on 10th and reds on 13th September, relatively early. Despite the hail (worst in Pommard than Beaune, Volnay less) yields were slightly improved compared to 2013. The fruit was clean with small berries, and beautiful clusters, so they were able to continue with their usual programme of whole-bunch vinification in most instances. The details are given for each wine. They will be long lived wines.

Firm green gold colour. This is a generous Clavaillon with a floral, open, creamy nose, white fruited and ripe. The palate is opulent with beautifully layered fruit and a generous, spicy finish. Lovely wine. From 2004.

The 2009 Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts brings together all of the elements of the house style. It shows marvelous harmony, deftly balancing the ripeness of the year with structure and persistence. Layers of radiant fruit flow through gracefully to the finish, where bright, floral notes restore elements of brightness and freshness. Yellow stone fruits, light honey and smokiness linger in the glass. I especially like the energy and polish here. This is a fabulous bottle. Anticipated maturity: 2013+.
Antonio Galloni - The Wine Advocate #196, Aug 2011

Pale yellow in colour, there is a little bit of toasty oak alongside the impressive density of fruit, with bright yellow plums showing on the palate and good acidity to keep it honest. Drink 2019-2023.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

This year Pierre Vincent has been able to achieve his aim of an ideal barrel rotation. Each of these wines has been matured in one-third new wood, one-third one-year-old and one-third two-year-old. Because of the exceptional health of the grapes in 2015, he has also been able to vinify all the wines without de-stemming. His 2015 reds are wines of grace and elegance, while the white wines (picked from 28th August) have an impressive tension alongside a concentration of fruit.

This is Jadots special patch of Chevalier and it has come out with all guns blazing in 2009. With sparkling minerality, chiselled purity, grace and length, this will develop into a truly great wine.

The Château de Puligny team have made an intense, tightly wound Premier Cru from La Garenne, an upper hillside vineyard which always maintains its minerality. This wine has a beautifully fine persistent finish.

There is a fine density of flavour in the complex nose, with a little toast and bacon fat. There are lifted, almost ethereal notes to the fruit, with fresh and pure apple-like acidity. Long and distinguished with dancing fruit, very fineboned yet with a layer of velvet.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

This micro-domaine continues to make some of the most sublime white wines in all of Burgundy but there is so little made that Arnaud and Marie-Odile are somewhat under the radar. Their meticulous work in the vineyards mean that yields are always low, though they hope to do better than their 19 hl/ha in 2012 and 26 hl/ha in 2013. The 2012s enjoyed long slow fermentations, so the wines were quite backward when tasted in November. The reds are also very fine this year.

Showing a full pale yellow colour, this has a rich and exotic nose that includes some nuttiness and coconut notes. The fruit is superbly expressive on the palate, multi-layered and backed by the vital fresh acidity of the vintage.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

The old order changeth slowly at Maison Louis Jadot. Veteran winemaker Jacques Lardire is still very much in charge, but his eventual successor Frdric is starting to play a more prominent role. Dont expect a revolution, but a little evolution is doubtless possible. The acidity of 2010 very much suits the Jadot white wine style, while their fullish extraction of Pinot Noir has worked notably well in several red cuves such as the Volnay, Clos de la Barre which we have selected for the first time this year. Where the wines come from one of the various Jadot domaines we supply the relevant information in brackets.

Despite the hail, this is a wine with real precision, which explodes with happy fruit, and gives a feeling of the nobility of this terroir. Picked on the perfect day one suspects (21st September as it happens). A very fine long finish.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau began picking on 17th September, the same day as in 2010, and harvested over eight days. Overall the yield was around 30 hl/ha with the lower-lying vineyards such as Bourgogne Blanc and Meursault Genevrières the least affected. Even the badly hailed vines reached maturity and there was no rot to speak of. Indeed, Jean-Baptiste has found the 2012s easy enough to handle once the grapes were picked. All the wines were racked before the new harvest, and those from Tessons upwards have been returned to barrel but with no more new wood.

Wonderfully refreshing, this is a very complete wine with several beguiling layers of flesh and fruit before the fine long finish.

A really intense nose of yellow fruit and spring flowers makes this wine immediately appealing. Quite full on the palate, it has lovely elegance and several layers of fruit which fill the mouth, before a long and fine finish.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director During the last year, Etienne de Montille, who has run Château de Puligny-Montrachet for the last decade, bought out the previous owners. 2012 will therefore be the first vintage of the new regime and also the first which will be fully certified organic after completion of the necessary three years. In 2011 the Château has produced a good crop of white wines, with old-fashioned low alcohol levels in both the reds and whites: wines originally found to be around 12% abv have been adjusted to 12.5% abv, anything above that was untouched.

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Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret is fresh and appealing from the floral bouquet onwards. A fully ripe wine with a beautiful broad palate and plenty of flesh. Very distinguished, this is likely to be accessible early.