Tasted 08 October 2020 in Puligny with Alvina Pernot.
Domaine Pernot Paul et Ses Fils
7 Place du Monument
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 32 35
www.domaine-pernot.com (not yet online)
More reports of Domaine Paul Pernot.
Alvina Pernot on 2020 & 2019:
“2020 is very promising, less stress than in 2019 where there was always something, like rain during flowering, heat stress and a small volume at harvest! 2020 also had a dry period but we already had more grapes on the vines – like in 2018 but with very different grape analysis. In the end quite a classic vintage with a good acidity – I like it, it’s been a while since we’ve had this style of wine.
“In 19 we did have some frost – it went down to -4°C the result of which was as much as 70% losses in the regionals. The Pulignys at the bottom of the village also had losses but the hillsides were not bad. We rushed to harvest the 2019s as the degrees were rising quickly. 2017 and 2018 started a little in the same way but both 2019 and 2020 are very different. We had much smaller grapes in 2019 and also kept only 2 reds as, due to the frost, we didn’t like the quality of the Beaune Teurons and the Pommard.
“In 2020, we have modest degrees of alcohol for reds and higher for whites, it was the reverse in 2019…”
The wines…
Some delicious, a number are completely excellent and a few are great or close to great. A fine result for this address in 2019 – practically everything here is 14° – plus or minus a little – of course, that’s the vintage, but you simply don’t note the alcohol.
All DIAM seals here, since 2017, a mix of 5s and 10s.
2019 Beaune Clos de Dessus de Marconnets
All destemmed
Medium, medium-plus colour. Hmm, that’s a pretty red fruit – not darkly fruited – also with just a suggestion of flowers. Open, nicely fleshy but still with lovely acidity. Vibrant and intense finishing, just a little steely minerality here too. I like the length and the faint twist of bitter asks me to take another sip – that’s lovely.
2019 Volnay Les Carelles
Old vines here – they were already old when we bought the parcel – 1967-68 – one of the last parcels harvested
More perfumed with flowers, still a very red fruit. Wider, fresher, more energy here – lovely creamy depth of fruit too. That’s a great finish – overall excellent wine.
Les Blancs:
2019 Bourgogne Aligoté
From the commune of Puligny, close to Route Nationale in the direction Corpeau. ‘We dont know the age of the vines as they were bought quite a time ago but they are at least 80-90 years old and always with a small yield.’ The last harvested with Santenay and Beaune villages (sold)
Here’s a modest DIAM reduction, becoming more and more airy and open with air. Round, a certain richness of flavour here – layered and growing in intensity. Actually, that’s a lovely, concentrated and mouthwatering finish, perhaps with a licorice touch – really excellently finishing.
2019 Bourgogne Côte d’Or Chardonnay
5 parcels including a lieu-dit Champ Canet which is next to the 1er of the same name and Chalumaux but Bourgogne classified.
Freshness, a little steely aspect – faintly accented with citrus. There’s a little richness to the flavour though less than the aligoté, but with a super mouth-watering aspect. The flavour delicious the energy excellent. A simply excellent Bourgogne.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet
The big assembly of multiple parcels
A concentration at the core of the wine – riper citrus – it needs to open a little but is still quite forward – air works with some swirling – the aromas opening their arms – it gets better and better. More mouth-filling – certainly more width. Very silky and just a little richness here. Less energetic than the Bourgogne with more depth of flavour. In total I’ve a preference for the Bourgogne today – but not by much – maybe in 2-3 years I will prefer this(?) There is much here that needs to relax – it’s a tightly wound wine.
2019 Meursault-Blagny 1er La Piece Sous la Bois
François Frères Troncais barrels, from ‘haute gamme’ – 30% new barrels, the rest 1-3 years old. Whereas the bourgognes are all old barrels up to 8 years old.
Also a little compact aroma to start – all these wines are really benefitting from air. More mineral an impression of an extra freshness without being overtly energetic. Slowly melting with mineral flavour over the palate – contemplative but not lacking mouth-watering balance. That’s a lovely finish – a long line of mouth-watering flavour – more lime style with a little finishing tannin on the tongue – that’s a great finish!!!
2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos de la Garenne
Always a little more power here – the clos shared with Magenta/Jadot. Planted in 56…
Not a big nose but airy and with a certain fresh width. Deeper, hmm – this slowly opens, beautifully cushioned minerality a faint suggestion of barrel but sweetly delicious flavour. Long slow waves of finishing flavour – contemplative again. I would say very good, with some change for even better with 5-6 years in bottle…
90% Clos de la Jacquelotte, planted in 1966
Airy, just a little extra herb but flowers too. Driving, direct – such a fine, mineral, tensioned style. This is a beauty as it slowly widens, delivering extra flavour and beautifully textured. Extra long. Bravo!
Bottom of the vineyard, red soil. Above is a more meagre soil with more silex – it’s an old cleared wood, we think it less interesting there.’ Oldest vines of the domain, planted in 1954 but the vines still suffer from the dryness as you quickly hit the mother rock.
A little extra green fruit in this – a certain ripeness of citrus that is practically obligatory in 19. Ooh – that’s also such a mineral and direct wine – a little extra width, more mouth-watering – bigger – but today a hint less focus than the Champs – but they are a really great and comparable pair – Perhaps also bravo!
2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Folatieres
Two parcels, one high and steep, the other lower older vines from the 1960s
The most open nose – lots of volume. There’s a small touch of oak spice and a slowly opening floral aspect. Also very mineral here with more width and a little more plump aspect to the texture. Very delicious in the middle and finishing flavours – extra class. Extra delicious in the finishing flavours too. Less demonstratively long vs the last two but lasting more subtly. Excellent as a minimum.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Pucelles
A little more oak, maybe 35% vs the 20% of the previous 1ers
Not the biggest nose, or the deepest, but close on both counts. Mouth-filling, a suggestion of tannin in the texture, plenty of flavour, slowly melting over the palate. There is concentration and balance here, yet today this is quite a tight wine – hinting at many aspects but not really delivering many of them. Only in the finish is there the ever-present density of Pucelles. For patience in the cellar or with a carafe…
2019 Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet
2 vines – 263m long rows – the longest of the domaine! Including Bâtard on the end of the same line
A more open and airy width, a mix of stones, flowers and fainter yellow citrus. Here we are back to the minerality of Champs and Chalumaux – super texture and width to this wine, supple but finely mouth-watering, slowly opening and offeresîng so many aspects. Excellent Grand Cru – really excellent – what a finish!
A large plot was replanted after the frost of 2016. Vines in both Puligny and Chassagne – our only one in Chassagne – but due to the replanting it’s currently just the Puligny that’s in this wine.
Not as wide as the Bienvenues but with more core of aroma. A wine stat starts modestly but grows and grows on the palate – a richness of texture but not really for the wine as the balance is impeccable – a little fizz of middle energy. And then comes the grand cru finish – it’s really indistinguishable from still having the wine in your mouth – for a time. Energy but not too much, concentration but not too much. Complex – you will still have to wait a little – but a buy – I think yes. Minimum, excellent.
