Les Folatieres

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.

From half a hectare in the middle of the slope, bordered either side by Leflaive and Leroy, this is spectacularly intense – the essence of 2017 distilled into an extraordinary wine, propelled across the palate by goose-winged acidity. Thrilling. Drink 2025-2032.

Winemaker Brian Sieve draws comparisons between the white wines of 2017 and 2014, explaining that the texture, weight and freshness are very similar in both years, although 2017 has perhaps a little more fruit ripeness, along with excellent tension and persistence. He believes that this same freshness and brightness in the reds will provide ageing capacity, pointing out that they worked hard to restrict the yield of Pinot Noir to achieve riper grapes. Overall slightly less whole-bunch fermentation was used as Brian felt the stems and fruit were not as ripe as in richer vintage

This is an important cuvée for Jean-Louis, who has more than a hectare and 30 barrels in 2018. He has two parcels, the biggest of which is higher on the hill and has some vines dating from 1960. Folatières is potentially one of the best of Puligny’s Premiers Crus, offering a generous and sometimes spicy personality. The latter is well to the fore in the 2018, completing a compact but complex composition, in which the resolute character of the vintage is folded into the weave of wine. Drink 2023-2029

From half a hectare in the middle of the slope, bordered either side by Leflaive and Leroy, this is the essence of Puligny. It’s floral and citrus on the nose, with a more rounded, elegant and voluptuous texture, then an intense freshness which Brian feels will only increase with time. Drink 2025-2032.