A rather deep, initially worrysome colour. Fortunately the nose betrays nothing unmentionable though it’s a little heavy, indeed ponderous. In the mouth it’s wide, a little fat and certainly has lots of mid-palate flavour. There is just about enough acidity for balance. The fruit starts sweet but the finish is a little more sour. The finish has a decent length. Whilst this was a beauty when younger, if I had more in the cellar I’d be drinking them all this year.
Château de Puligny-Montrachet
2001 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Clos du Château Bourgogne Blanc
An unusual wine in that despite it’s regional appelation it hails from a single vineyard – the walled ‘Clos’ of the Château grounds. The wall helps considerably in the process of becoming more biodynamic, but there can also be pitfalls when sourcing from a single vineyard, due to frost in April 2003 followed by the ‘le canicule’ yields for 2003 were only 9.5hl/ha! Pale yellow coloured, the nose shows a little citrus and sherbety tones – quite wide, but not very deep. More interesting depth on the palate – more classy than the nose. Whilst not a ‘yardstick’ example this is good and quite persistent in the finish.
2001 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Chassagne-Montrachet
A blend from three different vineyards. Just a little darker in colour. A deeper nose, more sumptuous and floral, at first I thought ripe pear fruit, but before emptying the glass I decidied it was more pineapple. More concentration and depth on the mid-palate than the Clos du Château. There’s a super little burst/flourish of fruit on the finish. This is a lovely villages.
2001 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Meursault Les Perrières
Again a vineyard just over the border from Puligny. Medium yellow coloured. Deep and fruity nose, initially very linear – like following a beam of light – widens a little with time. Very fat palate – at first seems too fat, but the second sip shows enough rescuing acidity. There even seems to be just a trace of tannin. Very lovely finish, no fireworks, just fades very slowly. A really good wine.
2001 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières
Pale golden. You have to dig deep for the low-toned but very focused nose, swirling produces a little agrumes and subtle floral notes. Nice fat, but still a very elegant palate. So smooth, a wine which, with a bit of age and complexity, you could just float away with. Persistant yet very understated – a wine which you could (and would) enjoy today, but I sense that would be a waste.
2001 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Puligny-Montrachet
2001 Château de Puligny-Montrachet St.Aubin En Remilly
The ‘En Remilly’ vineyard is just over the the border from Puligny. Paler yellow colour. The nose is higher toned and less obviously fruity. In the mouth the wine is fat and shows a deeper fruit profile, quite exotic and less mineral. This is a nice wine but for my personal style preferences the previous wine puts it in shade.