Tasted in Puligny with Sylvie Prevot-Joly and Gilles Gerard, the 29th October, 2014.

Domaine Albert Joly
Rue des Creux de Chagny
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 30 29+33 3 80 21 30 29

This is already a small domaine to start with, only 4.5 hectares and all in Puligny, but the vast majority of the production is sold to négociants. About 10-15% is commercialised by the domaine itself, and from what I tasted, they could do much more. Sad for them that they have no 1er or grand crus, but they have 0.8 hectares of good aligoté, close to two hectares of Bourgogne Chardonnay and the rest is Puligny villages which is (usually) separated into two named vineyard bottlings; Les Tremblots (towards Chassagne) and on the opposite side of the village, Les Charmes – which really is a continuation of Meursault 1er Les Charmes. The vines have good ages too – their plot in Les Tremblots has the oldest vines, which are about 60 years-old, much of the rest being about 40 years-old.

Albert (the father) has been working the domaine for many years, but only in 2007 when Sylvie and brother-in-law Gilles decided to take on some of the work, did they start to bottle a part of the production for themselves. They work out of a small cellar – but yes, it is a real cellar in Puligny – on the outskirts of the village near the Hotel Le Montrachet…

The wines…

The 2013 wines only finished their malos in August, and will be bottled, unfiltered, by a contract bottler, by the phase of the moon, sometime in March 2015. The village wines have about 1 barrel in 3 new wood – so ~30%.

This is a good set of wines; the cuvées are all different, and as can be seen from the notes, the difference is year-in, year-out, consistent. Nothing outstanding, but good tasty wines – this is a good new address.

2013 Bourgogne Aligoté
The nose is round and faintly nutty – some freshness though. This has a frank, direct delivery, and a fine line of flavour through the core. A mineral style and a tasty one too.

2013 Bourgogne Chardonnay
Faintly toasted notes, the nose is tight yet fresh. Quite full-shaped in the mouth but retaining a nicely fresh character. Good mid-palate intensity too. Yum!

2013 Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots
More toast and a faint reduction too – but a good weight of aroma. Muscular, wide and with finely growing intensity – indeed a nicely fresh finish too. I like the texture. Lingers well too…

2013 Puligny-Montrachet Les Charmes
Also a hint pf toast here, the nose suggests gas too. Yes there’s CO₂ on the palate but a little less than I was preparing myself for – very fine-grained bubbles! Fresher, with nice detail and intensity. Fine in the finish – this will be very lovely.

2012 Bourgogne Chardonnay
The nose is high-toned and sweet with riper fruit below. Quite full in the mouth with a little phenolics giving a faint impression of tannin. Good enough freshness – quite a lot of extract here.

2012 Puligny-Montrachet Vieilles-Vignes
Some hail so no separate cuvée of Tremblots.
Faint patissière on the nose with a whiff of lime-skin and a suggestion of reduction. Lithe, good energy and clarity with a sweetness of mouth-watering acidity too – Really super, despite a little reductive flavour too!

2012 Puligny-Montrachet Les Charmes
A fine, faintly floral nose. Like the 13, lithe, energetic and slightly mineral. Fine growing intensity. Good, tasty wine.

2011 Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots
The nose is fresh and pretty but with limited depth – seems a little tight. Much more mineral than previous wines. Good balance and interest – good ‘cut’ too for an 11. Good wine.

2011 Puligny-Montrachet Les Charmes
Also seem a little tight in the nose, but also delivering some floral references. Fuller in the mouth but again more mineral than more recent vintages show. More obvious concentration than the 11 Tremblots – it’s rather silky too.

2010 Puligny-Montrachet Vieilles-Vignes
High-toned fruit. A super, mineral, silky palate – and perfect acidity that is fine and mouth-watering in the finish. This wine also leaves a silky coating on the teeth – very good!

2010 Puligny-Montrachet Les Charmes
The nose has a little depth and sweetness – more complexity to the nose but with good freshness. Wide, silky and with a mineral base. Actually the intensity is very good here. Lovely wine again.

2007 Puligny-Montrachet Les Charmes
From their first vintage of commercialisation. The colour is a little deeper and there are some hints of tightness as well as maturity on the nose, yet it is fresh and inviting too. In the mouth this is mineral, silky and fresh. Not the exaggerated acidity of some communal wines from 07 as the concentration and mid-palate density are fine. This wine is in a great place just now.