2023 Chevalier Montrachet

This is moderately reduced, indeed it's revealing almost nothing but citrus nuances so in the off chance that you're going to open one of these young, plan on allowing at least some time in a decanter first. The succulent and sappy broad-shouldered flavors coat the palate with dry extract while the borderline pungent minerality adds a sense of lift to the compact, citrusy, balanced and beautifully long finale that is even more tightly wound. Patience is your friend here. Drink 2033+

The 2023 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru comes from an exchange of must with another grower and comprises just one barrel. Despite coaxing, this is actually more backward and reticent compared to the Bâtard-Montrachet, but there is disarming stoniness and poise. The palate is supremely well balanced with a silver thread of acidity. It is quite saline, though it needs a little more substance and grip toward the finish. Fine, but the Bätard-Montrachet has the real class. It was an unseasonably warmer late October morning when I made my solitary Saturday visit to Puligny-Montrachet to Philippe Abadie, husband of Alvina Pernot. This is a rare instance of a smooth transition between generations as piece by piece, Alvina taking over the vineyards that belonged to her father, Domaine Paul Pernot. Abadie told me that Pernot is in his mid-60s, too young to retire completely, and so will keep some of the holdings, like Philippe Colin in Chassagne. But vintage by vintage, there will be an expansion of Alvina's portfolio concurrent with some cuvées borne from exchanges in must being phased out, hence small differences between the wines in this report and those of 2022. "There were a few episodes of rain at good moments," Abadie tells me. "The season was generally quite easy. Flowering was OK. It was the inverse of 2024 - very hot in the summer. We began picking on August 26 to maintain acidity. It takes us only three or four days to pick and we only did that in the mornings. We used a vertical press for our own parcels [Paul Pernot uses a horizontal press). It was a little complicated in the cellar as the malolactic sometimes started before the alcoholic fermentation and that can risk some volatile acidity. We don't add SO2 until after the malo. The wines are well balanced because of the good volumes. The whites were bottled just before harvest and there are no reds this year [there was just a solitary Santenay in '22]." Alvina Pernot is going from strength to strength with a strong portfolio built around seven Puligny Premier Crus. These are precise and characterful, each respectful to their terroir. The apex is their brilliant Bätard-Montrachet that eclipses even their Chevalier-Montrachet, with an enthralling Corton-Charlemagne hot on its heels. But there is plenty to savor at all price points and I would refer readers to the pair of excellent Bourgogne Côte d'Or Blancs in this respect.

The 2023 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru comes from an exchange of must with another grower and comprises just one barrel. Despite coaxing, this is actually more backward and reticent compared to the Bâtard-Montrachet, but there is disarming stoniness and poise. The palate is supremely well balanced with a silver thread of acidity. It is quite saline, though it needs a little more substance and grip toward the finish. Fine, but the Bâtard-Montrachet has the real class.