Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru

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.

A clear, pale colour, this has the lightest of green tints. A very elegant approach, this has beguiling floral notes, pure clean fruit too and some white peach, without being overly opulent. It has a lovely texture and great persistence. The fruit keeps on coming: an exquisitely balanced 2015 Puligny. Drink 2019-2024.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

The harvest began on 28th August, with acceptable but still slightly low volumes, very similar to the immediately previous vintages. Already certified as organic, the château’s wines will also be certified (Biodivin) as biodynamic from 2017. This has become a seriously good address for white Burgundy in recent vintages. The 2015s have an excellent weight of fruit married to good acidity.

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.

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

Fine and pale, with a light green tint, this has just a hint of gunflint in it and a sense of greater weight. There’s an impeccable balance between the clay and the limestone, with beautiful integration of minerals and acidity, justifying its status as a senior Premier Cru. Very fine.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

After the weight of the Meursaults this Puligny seems subtle to start with but then a wealth of flavour develops at the back of the palate. Scintillating floral notes dominate and the finish is once again remarkable. This is yet another awesome wine from Arnaud Ente.

This may be Jean-Philippes best Referts to date: fine, elegant, stylish, classy and very floral. A typical Puligny, this has ripe, rounded fruit and a core of steel to boot. A touch of lemon zest adds a delicate freshness.

La Garenne is a vineyard that normally produces the ultimate elegant style of Puligny and indeed this character does come through on the finish, but before that there is a wonderful generous nose and a palate of real substance. The texture is what really gives this away as being a cut above the norm and the saline tinged minerality that shows on the finish is simply the icing on the cake.
Matthew Tipping - Private Account Manager

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.

Jean-Baptiste is fortunate to have a small holding of this top Puligny Premier Cru which he has transformed into a brilliant wine. Fine bright light colour, with a very chiselled nose, quite intense, building to a lemon finish, very pure and intense, superb persistence. With intensity more than weight, blindingly bright starry wine. 
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Jean-Baptiste reports hardly any hail damage in 2013 but the crop was nonetheless limited by cold damp weather at the flowering. He began picking on 26th September, with all the whites picked before the wet weekend. Malolactic fermentation took a little longer than usual but no real problems in the cellar. The wines will be bottled in December, or January for the Premiers Crus.

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.