2009 Puligny Montrachet

The 2009 Puligny-Montrachet comes across as a touch compact. It shows pretty delineation in its white flowers and minerals but lacks a little of the mid-palate softness of some of the other wines in this lineup. The long, clean finish makes it hard to resist a second taste. The Puligny is a blend of seven parcels scattered throughout the villages, vinified separately and aged in 17% new oak.

The 2009 Puligny-Montrachet comes across as a touch compact. It shows pretty delineation in its white flowers and minerals but lacks a little of the mid-palate softness of some of the other wines in this lineup. The long, clean finish makes it hard to resist a second taste. The Puligny is a blend of seven parcels scattered throughout the villages, vinified separately and aged in 17% new oak. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. This is a beautiful set of wines from Etienne Sauzet. Proprietor Gerard Boudot emphasized the importance of keeping yields low and picking early. The harvest began on September 7. Boudot did a very light batonnage, and the wines saw approximately 20% new oak. The 2009s were bottled beginning in August 2010, but the premier and grand crus weren’t bottled until March 2011. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

(a blend of three components) Pale color. Higher-pitched on the nose than the Chassagne villages, offering floral and mineral nuances. Then fine-grained and floral, with good cut and less fat to its lemon and spice flavors. Less exotic and more upright than the Chassagne, and quite different in style.