Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets

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.

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.

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.

A perfect position, Jean-Baptiste’s plot is immediately by and under Le Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet. Its class is evident at every turn, with its great terroir triumphant in a neat, considered, long and controlled wine.  Drink 2025-2035.

A wine which merits its name, this is stony and flinty on the nose, with smoky reduction running the length of the wine. The palate is salty, precise and tangy, with fine, chiselled detail and a pulpy richness to the finish. Drink 2025-2032. 

Most (80%) of this wine comes from a section of the Chalumeaux Premier Cru vineyard, which had to be declassified in 1975 when the previous owner illegally imported some fertile topsoil. Deep roots and soil erosion have since rectified the damage and, combined with parcels from Levron and Baudrières-Nosroy, this makes a top village Puligny. It’s precise, clean and classic, with floral top notes. Drink2022-2029.

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.