Vinous (92)

Bright, light yellow. Deeper-pitched aromas of yellow peach and honey. In a distinctly ripe style but broad and quite dry; in fact, with its superb concentration and fullness, this premier cru made for a good transition to Jadot's grand crus in my tasting. This compellingly rich wine conveys an almost marzipan-like sweetness and should give pleasure early or late. Very long on the aftertaste. As with the Combettes, the yield here was almost 90% of normal. Incidentally, Jadot did not make a Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret in 2016.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93)

Slightly the deepest in colour and the richest nose of the four premier crus. Some lemon notes and light plum, then white fruit. This has the most assured texture of the four. Good grip, as Clive Coates would have said, stretching out very nicely in a fine long finish.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Cask sample. Top-quality premier cru Puligny. Concentration and power on the nose/palate. Savoury edge, plenty of citrus keeping the palate fresh. Should age very well. Stony finish with an intriguing zesty character. GV.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes is excellent, offering up aromas of stone fruits, pear, pastry cream, white flowers and fresh croissants, followed by a full-bodied, rich and textural palate, with a broad attack that segues into a layered, multidimensional palate. Powerful and broad shouldered, but nicely balanced, this is a compelling wine from Sauzet.

Wine Advocate (95)

Boillot's emblematic 2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère has turned out brilliantly, wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, hazelnut, dried white flowers, citrus oil, blanched almonds and smoke. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with terrific concentration, searing levels of extract and a long, mineral finish.

Burghound (96)

(Outstanding) This is perhaps the most floral-suffused nose in the range with its aromas of essence of pear and plenitude of spice and citrus elements. Once again, the mid-palate mouthfeel of the medium-bodied flavors is absolutely gorgeous, which contrasts noticeably with the cuts-like-a-knife finish that remains ultra-refined, balanced and persistent. This is most impressive, particularly for the remarkably fine volume and power that is delivered with grace and class.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles exhibits aromas of orange oil, toasted nuts, pear and white flowers, framed by a deft touch of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, with an ample core of fruit and bright girdling acids, it concludes with a precise, mouthwatering finish.

Wine Advocate (91)

The 2018 Puligny-Montrachet Village is superb, unfurling in the glass with aromas of white peach, clear honey, citrus oil and fresh pastry. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and textural, with lively acids and a long, precise finish. As I noted last year, it's derived from the superior lieux-dits of Les Houlières, La Rousselle, Les Charmes and Les Enseignères.

Burghound (91)

Outstanding A subtle but not invisible application of wood sets off cool aromas of various flowers, pear, apple and orange peel. There is very good volume to the succulent, intense and agreeably textured flavors that culminate in a bone-dry, palate coating and lingering finale where a hint of youthful austere slowly emerges. This is a very impressive and age worthy Puligny villages.

Wine Advocate (89-91)

The 2017 Puligny-Montrachet Village reveals pretty aromas of white peach, spring flowers and pastry cream, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample palate that's the most pure and elegant of Chartron's communal appellations this year. It will be well worth seeking out.

Vinous (93)

The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Champ Canet 1er Cru has a very attractive nose with enticing scents of nectarine, tinned white peaches, Braeburn apples and a light chalky note. The palate is well balanced with orange pith, apricot and lychee notes on the entry. This Champ Canet has fine depth and good tension, the mouth tingling with spicy residues after it has departed. Excellent.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94)

Pale primrose. A fine bouquet with some complexity, fruit as white as it is yellow, this has really maintained its grip though the fruit is at its fleshiest here, quite a long finish. Does it have quite the nervous intensity at the back? That is not really what Combettes is about. Fruit marries well with the oak here, a delicious and fairly accessible Combettes. Tasted: November 2021

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93)

82% down in production I am told, meaning just 1 x 350 litre barrel, a new one. Pale lemon with a light green tint. Quite a concentration on the bouquet, fruit and oak integrated. Excellent tension behind, the fruit being concentrated enough to stand up to the oak, and the finish shows significant promise. This will come out well – if you can find any! Drink from 2026-2032. Tasted: November 2022

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (90)

Pale lemon and lime. The bouquet is immediately present, some fresh herbs as much as flowers, fresh apple too, this is quite austere up front, but with much more weight behind waiting to emerge. This is looking backward at the moment, but I expect it to blossom in the bottle. Tasted: November 2021

Vinous (93)

The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er Cru has an austere nose that demands coaxing from the glass; struck flint and sea spray scents, cool, calm and collected. The palate is taut on the entry, then fans out with glee, notes of dessicated orange peel, white peach and tangerine, a lovely bitterness that counterbalances the concentration on the finish. Exccellent. Closure: Diam 30

Burghound (92-94)

(Sweet Spot Outstanding) Here the reduction is sufficient to overshadow the fruit. There is even better volume to the sleek and delicious middleweight flavors that are less mineral-driven but more powerful and slightly more persistent and bone-dry finish that is also exceptionally well-balanced. This is excellent and I would go so far as to observe that it's the best vintage for the Clavoillon in a long time. It is typically considered to be less interesting than the other 1ers (and not without reason) in the Leflaive portfolio and while it doesn't surpass them in 2021, it is most impressive nonetheless.

Burghound (94-96)

(Don't Miss! Outstanding) Firm reduction and a whiff of oak dominate the nose at present. Much more interesting are the beautifully textured, racy and detailed medium weight flavors that also possess a highly sophisticated mouthfeel while exhibiting stunningly good length on the bitter zest-inflected finish that goes on and on. This is terrific and easily delivers grand cru quality.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92)

5-Star Wine Just bottled at the end of April. Made from the usual six plots. A pale lemon yellow. The nose has been knocked back a bit and is not yet showing much fruit. Then a little white fruit starts to emerge with some graphite, and a little bit of gunflint. Racy yet ripe with several layers of flavour and excellent length, the acidity perfectly wound in. On the assumption that the bouquet comes back as it should a little later on, after getting over the bottling, this will surely be a 5 star wine

Vinous (91-93)

The 2017 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a fresh bouquet, quite vigorous compared to its peers, with yellow flower scents complementing the clear honey and subtle linseed aromas that gradually unfurl. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, and full of tension, displaying good depth and concentration toward the finish. This is quite a powerful Puligny, perhaps missing a little bit of nerve compared to its peers, yet satisfying and persistent in the mouth. (DIAM GC closure)

Vinous (91-93)

The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne 1er Cru is more perfumed and floral than the La Garenne. Peach skin and rosewater touches make this very seductive. The palate is composed and harmonious but needs a little more nervosité, yet the finish is very harmonious and tender. Excellent.

Vinous (91-93)

The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru has a clean and precise bouquet with beautifully defined citrus fruit laced with crushed stone. The palate is well balanced with good depth and grip, slightly waxy in style, fine acidity with touches of tangerine and orange pith towards the finish. Thoroughly enjoyable, this should age well in bottle. Closure: Diam

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)

5 Star Wine. There will be no En la Richarde Folatières from Héritiers Louis Jadot this year, but this bottling is superb. A little more toastiness on the nose. This builds beautifully to the back of the palate, showing an excellent backbone with just the right elegance of minerality. Really good. Bravo Drink from 2026-2033. Tasted: October 2022

Wine Advocate (98)

The single-vineyard Sorte O Soro had not been produced since 2016, and the 2019 Sorte O Soro is the next vintage after that. This plot has always shown additional elegance, freshness and salinity since he started vinifying it in 2004, because of the altitude (710 meters above sea level) and the north exposure to the Bibei Valley, where the old clone is planted on fine granite sand and quartz soils. Like As Sortes, this Sorte also fermented and matured with lees in new 500-liter French oak barrels for eight months. It has 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.12 and higher acidity (at 7.5 grams) than the rest of the 2019s. It feels very harmonious, elegant and nuanced with some creaminess, with notes of wet pollen and yellow flowers. The palate reflects the soil, with vibrant granite and very fine sand and electric quartz (saline), and it's also round and powerful from the clone that is planted in the vineyard. This vineyard is in the process of being organically and biodynamically certified. 2,240 bottles were filled in September 2020. I tasted the 2019s and 2020s from Rafa Palacios in Valdeorras. For him, these are two very good years. 2019 had a mild and dry winter and a rainy and cold spring that delayed budding, followed by a mild summer with fewer hours of sunshine, which meant a delay in the ripening process. Harvest was more than one month later than usual, and the grapes achieved very slow ripening and full development of aromas and flavors while keeping the acidity. The harvest started in October and finished in November. It's a beautiful, homogeneous vintage with very good wines. 2020 saw a moderately cool and rainy winter and a dry and cold spring that resulted in 20% less bunches than in 2019. The summer was also quite dry but, fortunately, not too hot. Given the low yields, maturation was accelerated, and the harvest began at the beginning of September for Louro and from September 25th for As Sortes. Given the scarce water, the plants had to work harder deep down into the soil, which marked the wines; the silica and quartz from the sandy soils of O Bolo shaped a saline identity and the wines achieved a lot of elegance and balance. It's a more heterogeneous vintage, and the higher-altitude vineyards behaved better. The 2020 O Soro is out of this world. He gave me a quick preview of the very cold 2021, a vin de garde vintage but a challenging year with a lot of rain. They are in the process of certifying their vineyards (organic and biodynamic), but they have some problems in the vineyards with neighbors who are not organic, so it will probably be faster for O Soro and Sorte Antiga.

Decanter (98)

Sampled from a vat, this is one of the best As Sortes I have ever tasted, comparable to the iconic 2011. It's a prodigy of subtleness and elegance. Everything is firmly delicate in this wine. Restrained aromas open up parsimoniously, with a steely structure like a great Burgundy, but with flinty acidity almost like Grosses Gewächs from Rheingau. Despite the fact that the sample was not yet bottled, the wine had no oak influence, just the indication that it had been aged, as top Godello must. Rafael Palacios is refining his work year after year, reaching the magic of the greatest wines. A top wine, and one to keep.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2015 O Diviso felt closed, more reticent, and seems more powerful, despite the fact they did a nonextractive vinification; they did nothing and let the wine ferment at its own pace. This matured in one 600-liter oak barrel, and this is the only red that has a slight note from the oak. There is also a relevant amount of Garnacha Tintorera, so the combination of a warm year, the small barrel and the varietal mix resulted in a more austere and backward wine that is going to require more time in bottle. The fruit is darker and the wine is more powerful than the 2014. It might evolve with time in bottle, because it certainly has the stuffing to do so, but today As Caborcas was singing, and I have to give it the edge. 895 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2016.

Vinous (92-94)

The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru comes from 0.80 hectares of vines up to 45 years old, located close to the woods. Unlike the other two Puligny Premier Crus, it comes from Girardin’s own vines. This has a more clinical bouquet of fine delineation and terroir expression, featuring crushed limestone, cooking apple and a light sea spray note. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity and quite saline in the mouth, getting the saliva flowing. Good concentration on the finish. This is an excellent Puligny that should age with style.