The Chevalier-Montrachet 2011 from Bouchard is very refined and showing beautifully. The bouquet offer pure and cool orchard fruits – with notes of white peach, melon and pear – hints of acacia flower, petrolium, citrus and a filligree stony minerality. On the palate very intense with a very long mineralic finish – the fruit is crystal clear and supported very well by the multible layers of complex minerality. The acidity is vibrant and the tension and nerve is indeed impressive. A very elegant Chevalier-Montrachet in the making.… Read the full article →
Puligny Montrachet
The Montrachet 2011 from Bouchard is a refined and very balanced masterpiece. The bouquet is offering pure crystaline cool orchard fruits – intense but airy … with discrete citrus notes and a powerful but very filligree stony minerality. On the palate very intense with a very long mineralic finish – but still it’s a incredibly balanced and lightfooted wine. The fruit is crystal clear and supported perfectly by the multible layers of complex minerality. The acidity is very vibrant and the tension and nerve in this refined wine is extraordinary.… Read the full article →
The Batard Montrachet 2000 from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti is a great matured white. The bouquet is very expressive and complex with notes of acacia, hazelnuts, almonds and Belle de Booskoop apple – spiced with hints of toast, coffee and citrus. The palate offer rich and pure fruit with a intense underlying minerality. It’s rich and almost creamy – but still vibrant and fresh. A lovely balanced and matured wine – with delightful complexity and great length. A beautiful wine.
(Drink from Now) – Outstanding+ 96p – Tasted 20/03/2013
The Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1996 from Domaine Leflaive is a true beauty when firering on all cylinders. The bouquet is expressive and complex offering a ripe intense yellow fruit with notes of melon, hazelnuts, smoky almonds, acacia and a twist of fresh citrus – supportet by a intense mineralic scent. Still some elements of smoky gun powder in the nose. On the palate matured crisp fruit – it’s focused, complex and weighty with the fine minerality and 1996 acidity as a structuring and focusing backbone.… Read the full article →
The Montrachet 2008 from Ramonet is one of the best white Burgundies I have ever tasted. The bouquet is very expressive with orchard fruits – acacia, pear and melon – spiced with hints of citrus and a very intense stony minerality. The palate is impressively harmonious with layers upon layers of intense pure virbrant fruit – the minerality is massively intense and the 2008 acidity is playful and nervy – adding to the complexity. The finish is immensely long and intense – and yet fresh and vibrant.… Read the full article →
The Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 2002 from Domaine Leflaive has entered a matured stage .. and presently showing all it’s glory. The bouquet is very expressive and complex offering a ripe intense yellow fruit with notes of melon, fallen apples, hazelnuts, acacia and a twist of fresh grape – supportet by a intense mineralic scent. The palate offer big and creamy fruit aromas – quite fat and dense for a Pucelles – with a excellent support from the fine acidity, the citrus notes and the strong mineralic expression of the terroir.… Read the full article →
The Puligny-Montrachet 2010 from Benjamin Leroux is a mixed bag of goodies. In the bouquet quite a stony minerality with white orchard fruits and a hint of citrus. On the palate quite finely balanced with a good focus. Very good medium weight fruit on the midpalate – and a nice quite long mineralic finish. On the positive side it’s pure and harmonious, on the slightly negative side the fruit is lacking some depth and vibrancy. A good wine … but in my view lacking some nerve and brilliance.… Read the full article →
The Batard-Montrachet from Domaine Leflaive is slightly closed – but nevertheless showing it’s greatness. In the bouquet ripe and cool fruit – notes of orchard fruits – peach, pear, acacia, with a intense stony minerality and a twist of citrus zest. The nose is quite discrete, refined and very filigree. On the palate outstanding midpalate concentration and energy – big and bold – and yet refined and remarkably lightfooted. The finish is long and powerful with a vibrant acidity and a intense minerality.… Read the full article →
The Puligny Montrachet village 2010 from Frederic Cossard is a very good wine and is now starting to settle down. In the nose white and yellow orchard fruits with a hint of citrus and acacia. On the palate a quite rich aromatic profile with rather dense fruit – balanced by a quite powerful acidity and a good but not impressive minerality. A quite lovely and drinkable white Burgundy – would however prefer a little less Cossard and a bit more Puligny terroir in the expression – nevertheless – a very good effort.… Read the full article →
The Puligny Montrchet village 2011 is fulfilling the promise it showed from cask. In the nose white orchard fruits with a stony puligny minerality and a citrus twist. On the palate rich and quite luch yellow fruit with a good transparancy and a fine mineralic backbone. A lovely inner balance – a fresh and quite crisp acidity – but I’m a bit surpriced by the richness of the fruit. The fruit an the acidity is however in perfect balance – making it very approachable.… Read the full article →
The Puligny Montrachet village from Frederic Cossard is a very good wine … but still very young.
In the nose white and yellow orchard fruits with a hint of citrus. On the palate a quite rich aromatic profile with rather dense yellow fruit – balanced with a quite powerful acidity and a good but not impressive minerality. Seems a bit confused at the moment, with a yin/yang effect between the rich aromatic fruit and the quite powerfull citrus/acidity in the finish.… Read the full article →
The Puligny Montrachet v2010 from Domaine Leflaive is a very impressive village wine. In the bouquet – slightly closed – but with a slightly chalky minerality and a lovely fruit expression – melon with hints of more exotic orchard fruits. Very fresh, ripe and crystal clear and quite discrete – this is new school Leflaive! On the palate very refined with a good mid-palate weight, great balance and a long precise finish. Like many 2010s it currently shows a yin and yang effect between the acidity and fruit – this tension is fine – but it really need time to show the full pontential.… Read the full article →
The Batard Montrachet 2006 from Domaine Ramonet is a typical 2006 white Burgundy. In the bouquet very rich fruit with elements of pear, melon and Belle de Boskoop apples. On the palate rich fruit, quite sweet powerful and dense. The alcohol level is on the high side (14%) and this is showing in the finish clouding the otherwise fine minerality. A very fine effort for the vintage but the alcohol level is somewhat too high for my palate.
(Drink from 2016) – Fine 91p – Tasted 04/10/2012
The Pucelles 1999 from Domaine Leflaive is a real beauty. In the nose gun powder, citrus and almonds with a fine minerality and a lovely yellow fruit. On the palate a wonderful crisp acidity, very focused with a beautiful fruit and minderality. It has a lovely balance, and a fantastic acidity and freshness for the vintage. A very fine wine indeed.
(Drink from 2015) – Very Fine 94p – Tasted 04/10/2012
The Puligny Montrachet village 2010 from Domaine Leflaive is a fine effort in a equally fine vintage. In the bouquet classic Puligny minerality with a lovely fruit expression – melon with hints of more exotic orchard fruits. Very fresh, ripe and crystal clear and quite discrete – new school Leflaive! On the palate very refined with a good mid-palate weight, great balance and long precise finish. A pure and crystal clear wine with a lovely precise expression of the Puligny terroir.… Read the full article →
The Puligny Champ Gain is a step up from the village wine, but with the same fine qualities. In the bouquet some reduction – quite toasted – with apple, pear and citrus notes as the primary aromas. On the palate very good concentration and minerality – a fresh and juicy wine. A fine wine.
Fine (90 – 92p) CASK
Tasted 03/05/2012
The Puligny-Montrachet 2011 is a wonderfully fresh wine. In the bouquet fresh apple and pear aromas, with citrus notes – grapefruit and lemon. On the palate crisp and elegant fruit and minerality. Very good balance and a juicy expression of the fruit.
Very Good (88 – 90p) CASK
Tasted 03/05/2012
The Puligny-Montrachet les Pucelles 2000 from Domaine Leflaive is normally a true delight. This example was however quite delveloped with a darker than normal color, and a somewhat tired expression. The cork was fine, but could be a slight premox, in that case first premoxed wine from this domaine since the 1997 vintage. In the bouquet quite mature notes, apple, almonds hint of gunpowder, and a slight oxidation. On the palate good concentration, rather dense but not very lively fruit. Good lenght and minerality from the fine terroir.… Read the full article →
The Puligny-Montrachet 2010 from Pacalet is a fresh and fine glass. In the bouquet yellow friut, honey, wet stones, citrus, and a nice minerality. On the palate quite rich and lush, but with a distinct backbone of acidity and minerality. God balance and freshness, a typical 2010 white with a little ying yang effect between a quite rich fruit, and a rather zappy acidity. It’s all there, but the fruit need to be more integrated with the acidity and minerality – needs time.… Read the full article →
The Chevalier-Montrachet 1993 from Michel Colin-Deleger is a mixed bag of impressions. The bouquet is a true pleasure, with nuances of coffee, almonds, anise, fennel, grapefruit and apple. The nose is complex as one would expect from a great terroir like Chevalier. On the palate however, there seem to lack some focus and precision – probably due to the high alcohol in the wine (14%). The wine is not oxidized, and the fruit is there, but the wine is not harmonious, as the fruit is somewhat separated from the minerality and the terroir impression.… Read the full article →