Tasted in Puligny-Montrachet with winemaker Jacques Montagnon, 19 October 2015.
Domaine du Château de Puligny-Montrachet
Rue de But
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 39 14
http://www.demontille.com/
Jacques on 2015:
“2015 really delivered great quality raw materials, and clearly with no problems of ripeness. I think it will be very fine. We’re planning to wait until after the malos before adding any sulfur as the sanitary conditions of the grapes were perfect.”
Jacques on 2014:
“We’re pretty happy with our 2014s, as overall there’s a good tension. Yields are similar to 2012 – we lost 40% again in late June, just like 2012 so wasn’t to the detriment of the quality, fortunately, but certainly quantity. It’s a very fruity vintage with a good acidity and well balanced, yet supple and easy to drink young – indeed it’s already drinking very well – but I think still a vintage that will keep. It seems to me that it’s almost a combination of 2012 and 2013.”
The wines…
Pretty much everything is now in tank for bottling. They are mainly working with 600 litre barrels these days – ‘We’re really not looking for fat or toast’ – of course the volume of a particular wine determines if some smaller barrels are also used!
A strong set of wines, very 2014.
2014 Bourgogne Clos du Chateau
Big, wide, some roundness. A slowly growing freshness from the core that makes this more and more interesting. The texture is good here, a little plush but really nothing that detracts from the fleshy, fresh fruit – lovely, and classic 2014.
2014 Chassagne-Montrachet
2 parcels one near the Château de Chassagne, the other closer to Bâtard both vinified separately.
Wide and with a little weight, here the nose is weightier but less ‘giving’ despite the nose this is lush, mouthwatering and very tasty wine. Some minerality and it holds a nice line and tension in the finish. Very nice.
2014 Meursault
A blend of 2 Petits Charrons and Castets – again assembled before bottling. Charrons is very limestone, the other more clay. Here a little less new oak – 10%.
Here is a proper meursault nose, not so deep, but with a nice freshness above. Also a joyous blend of freshness, fleshiness yet a stoniness too. Long, lingering on a good acidity.
4 different parcels; a couple rather small, Levrons about 20% and the rest of chalumeaux (from 1er cru land that they’re not allowed to label as 1er cru…)
Weight of aroma, ripe lemon freshness. Lovely line, and intensity – fine wine here – lovely mouth-watering flavour with a clear Puligny tension. Excellent.
2014 St.Aubin 1er En Remilly
Massale selection from above Montrachet. The young vines are 5 years old, the rest about 40. Bought by the Chateau in 1992.
Wide and fresh, a little weight of herb and mineral too. Lithe, growing energy that’s fused to the acidity, and leads into a lovely, sweetly mineral finish. Excellent.
Always an early harvest here on a ‘dalle calcaire’ – not much soil. About 20% new oak
Bright, fresh, zesty, herby top notes over a modest, sweeter, spicy bread – really a lovely Meursault aromatic. Direct forward, nicely textured then – bang! A wonderful width of explosive falvour!
High on the hill with a fresh wind here, so maturity comes later but no rot because of that. 2 barrels, neither new.
A lovely, precise lemon and lime aroma – beautiful. Wide, lithe, simply gorgeous, indeed a mouth-watering gorgeousness that holds for a long time before slowly beginning to fade. Love!
2014 Puligny-Montrachet 1er les Chalumeaux
30 ares, also late harvested – almost the last to be harvested here, ‘But that patience is always rewarded, this wine starts tight but always repays patience. Old vines of Anne-claude Leflaive, acquired in 1993. It needs lots of effort here to avoid oïdium
Freshness, a hint of something fruity below, but the depth is rather tight. Flows beautifully over the tongue and then gorgeously opens. Just a slightly tighter version of the Garenne. Gorgeous.
2014 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Folatières
Former vines of Charton bought in 1993 – 0.5 hectare. These are rather earlier ripening vines, here with 25% new oak.
A freshness but also a guardedness too, perhaps a hint of lime in there. Bigger in the mouth, but freshly mineral not a wine about ripeness – though it’s in there too. Another wine that flows like a river over the palate. Really super.
2014 Chevalier-Montrachet
From above Clos du Caillerets.
Deeper aromas, and there’s complexity in that depth, but it’s a tight ball of aroma that’s slightly creamy. Wide and mineral. With a good texture – the real differentiation here is the width in the finish. Simply excellent wine.