Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru

The trend towards earlier harvests brings these often stern wines more firmly into the frame and there are only 5.2 hectares of Pinot to be found. This is something of a mission for Ben, who strongly believes in their quality. A cool, dry, distinctively sapid wine. Drink 2022-2027.

It is fair to say that Ben is very happy with 2017, describing it as the kind of vintage he would sign up for every year. The whites, he says, are beautiful, and not far from 2014 in style, with purity, finesse, great definition and balance. He describes the reds as pretty, appealing and with body to support ageing, while highlighting the importance of lower-yielding old vines for serious ageing. He eloquently explains that there is no “black sheep” in 2017, that no village has underperformed. For reason of space, the limited volumes of Grands Crus have not been included in this brochure. Since the 2014 vintage, all white wines are bottled under screwcap.

This is the estate’s jewel in its range of Premier Crus, and the step up in quality is evident. Here, there is a fine melding of the vintage character and the terroir’s aristocracy, with a real sense of dimension and richness, although with 2016’s attack. This is very good indeed, with only 20 percent new oak used to emphasise the orange blossom and white peach complexity. Drink 2020-2030.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

The Château de Puligny-Montrachet was a slumbering force until finally being awoken by the arrival of Étienne de Montille in time to oversee the 2001 vintage. Under Étienne, yields have been drastically reduced and the wines are handled much more sympathetically in the cellar so that the quality of the fruit dominates the oak. In 2012 Étienne and investors purchased the property and have radically reformed the estate, dropping unsuitable vineyards, converting to organic (and indeed biodynamic) farming, and further improving the winemaking. It was a successful vintage here in terms of quality, under the eye of cellar master Brian Sieve. He recounts how the lower slopes of Puligny-Montrachet and the Bourgogne Blanc vineyards on the plain escaped nearly all the frost, but the lower Meursault vineyards were almost entirely affected. For Château de Puligny-Montrachet, this is a good vintage – maybe lacking the flesh of a truly great year, but equally delicious in its accessibility. Not all the vineyards suffered, but there were, nevertheless, some serious reductions in certain sites.

The 2014 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru les Champs Gain, another acquisition from Vincent Girardin, has a nicely composed, green apple and limestone-scented bouquet that is well defined and classy. The palate is fresh on the entry with an almost red fruit-like flavor profile, red cherry and citrus fruit fanning out nicely on the deceptive finish. Fine...but I feel there is better to come.Drink: 2017 - 2029
89/91 Neal Martin eRobertParker.com #222 Dec 2015

The glory of this wine lies in the mouth-filling palate. It displays a wonderful mix of white fruits with excellent minerals running through. Fruit, flesh and structure are all in balance. The nose will take a little longer, though already some attractive floral notes can be teased out.

Jean-Philippe is serene in the knowledge of the quality of his 2014 vintage. The grapes were entirely healthy, there were no problems in vinification, the maturation process is happening as it should and the wines are set to give a great deal of pleasure all round. There is less reduction than last year, so they will be accessible reasonably early, while still having good keeping potential.

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.

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

Quite a pale colour, the nose shows a touch of gunflint reduction. There is very good energy here, lovely lime notes alongside orange blossom and dancing fruit. This is stylish and has great persistence. A very lovely expression of Puligny, with beautiful poise. Drink 2021-2027.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

The vintage here began on 1st September and lasted a week. Jean-Philippe reports excellent yields in 2015, much more than in 2014. He hardly needed to settle the juice after pressing because the grapes were so healthy. He also took longer over the press cycle but has stirred the lees much less. The plan is for more natural body in his wines and less technique. He has also been reasonable with his prices this year: “Wine is a product for sharing,” he notes.

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.

We think that this is the best Referts that Arnaud has ever made. Subtle, delicate, elegant aromas of white flowers are followed by a sensual, stylish palate. After the power of the Meursaults, this initially seems light but soon develops into an altogether different proposition.The epitome of finesse, this could be defined as the Haute Couture of the wine world.

Brilliantly rich and round, this needs a little time in the mouth for the detail to be revealed. Fresh, yet certainly ripe, with tingling minerality, it is totally balanced and has an exceptionally long finish. A young lady still, this Les Demoiselles is a great white Burgundy in the making.

Burgundy Vintage 2010 Best Buys - Village Whites and Reds
Yields are significantly down this year at Jobard unfortunately, but the quality is as great as ever and Le Trézin is no different. Orange Blossom and Lemon Verbena notes unveil the vibrant mid-palate energy which hints at the huge potential which this wine undoubtedly has.
(Gary Owen, Private Account Manager)

Delicious Puligny from the top of the hill. The bouquet shows a bounce of minerals, pure and beautiful, with real energy right across the palate. Fine length. An admirable, textbook example.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Antoine Jobard started picking on Sunday 19th September and hurried through so as to finish before the rains, announced for the following Friday, arrived. The wines have the same concentration as in François Jobard’s time but a greater purity. There is little emphasis on new oak, with an average of 20% new barrels across the range, leaving the wines to speak for themselves. Everything was fully ripe in 2010 but nothing exceeded 13.3% alcohol, so the balance is certainly there.

Jean-Baptiste feels that the vines in this vineyard are getting into their stride now that they have passed their 35th anniversary. It is hard to disagree; the wine is floral and mineral with a laser-like focus and purity, but with the stuffing to steer clear of any feeling of meanness or austerity. An excellent, benchmark Cailleret. Drink 2023-2030.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

The Bouzereau clan is widespread in the village of Meursault, with Domaine Michel Bouzereau at the forefront. Jean-Baptiste Bouzereau, Michel’s son, is now in sole charge. He moved to a purpose-built winery in 2009 which has made the winemaking a great deal easier to manage and has enabled Jean-Baptiste to refine his style towards greater purity as well as more substance. The wines are racked after 11 months, with the better village Meursaults and all the Premiers Crus being returned to barrel for additional ageing, before bottling early the following year. Jean-Baptiste explained that frost was more of a problem in the lower-lying Grands Charrons vineyard than Tessons and the Premiers Crus which sit on the slope. Overall he is around a third down on a normal year, mainly in the lesser appellations. Harvest began on 22nd September for the whites, and took place in good conditions. He feels that 2016 is a vintage which will appeal to Burgundy lovers, and one which shows each terroir with great clarity.

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.

This small, stony, wind-whipped vineyard sits above Les Perrières. These factors and its thin soils mean its fruit often struggles to ripen. Étienne and Brian prefer to age this cuvée in 600-litre barrels, to give the wine more compensating flesh. For fans of this style, the 2016 is super; the freshness of the vintage doubles up with the site’s minerality to create a purist’s delight. Drink 2020-2028.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

The Château de Puligny-Montrachet was a slumbering force until finally being awoken by the arrival of Étienne de Montille in time to oversee the 2001 vintage. Under Étienne, yields have been drastically reduced and the wines are handled much more sympathetically in the cellar so that the quality of the fruit dominates the oak. In 2012 Étienne and investors purchased the property and have radically reformed the estate, dropping unsuitable vineyards, converting to organic (and indeed biodynamic) farming, and further improving the winemaking. It was a successful vintage here in terms of quality, under the eye of cellar master Brian Sieve. He recounts how the lower slopes of Puligny-Montrachet and the Bourgogne Blanc vineyards on the plain escaped nearly all the frost, but the lower Meursault vineyards were almost entirely affected. For Château de Puligny-Montrachet, this is a good vintage – maybe lacking the flesh of a truly great year, but equally delicious in its accessibility. Not all the vineyards suffered, but there were, nevertheless, some serious reductions in certain sites.

The vineyard’s proximity to Blagny and height at the top of the hill means that ripe years like 2017 are a godsend for this wine. This has much more texture than usual but also retains its natural restraint, creating a classic Puligny style. Really good this year. Drink 2023-2030.


Despite the localised frosts in 2017, Bachelets yields this year are similar to 2015 and close to the average of recent years. Benot and Jean-Baptiste began the harvest on 30th August with the warmer sites of En Remilly, Blanchot Dessus and Bienvenues, and finished on 8th September in the lower-lying Derrire la Tour. Benot commented on how clean and healthy the fruit was this year; there was a little bit of mildew in the spring, but otherwise the year was problem-free. An honest, precise vintage, inhis view.