2012 Domaine Boyer-Martenot Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru

The 2012 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret, which used to be a monopole of Jean Charton until the early 1990s, has a neat, quite conservative, flinty bouquet. The palate is crisp on the entry with plenty of spicy, quite exotic fruit that lends this Puligny impressive weight and persistency in the mouth. There is a touch of honey and marmalade toward the finish that is long and satisfying. This is a regal Puligny deserving two or three years in bottle. Drink 2015-2028. It was my first time visiting this domaine and young winemaker Vincent Boyer. Their winery is situated in the lower reaches of the hilly Meursault village. Their set up is one whereby tourists are welcomed to visit the cellars and purchase bottles directly. That is often interpreted as a sign of more commercial wines for less discerning tourists, after all, you never see Aubert de Villaine beckoning visitors inside. Do not make that mistake here. I was impressed by both the estate’s enviable portfolio of holdings scattered over 10 hectares in Meursault, Puligny, Auxey-Duresses and Pommard, and Vincent’s assiduous approach to winemaking. If anything, his 2012 whites are so vibrant and surfeit with minerality that it exaggerated what I found lacking in the small number his reds, even if they are peripheral within Yves’ portfolio. The holdings were accumulated by Vincent’s ancestors on both his paternal and maternal lineages, hence the hyphenated name. It was the marriage of Andre Boyer to Juliette Deveze that linked Meursault with Puligny respectively. Then their son Yves was married to Marie Cecile Martenot in 1976. Between 1997 and 2007 the domaine has discretely acquired further holdings. Yves has a simple approach to winemaking. He uses new oak thoughtfully, so that it is embedded and frequently barely noticeable within his wines, thereby allowing the terroir to be articulated. He bottles relatively early. His 2012 whites had all been bottled when I tasted them in October, 2013, though Vincent expressed a desire to extend the barrel aging if space permits. Then again, judging by the performance of these wines, I am not totally convinced that is entirely necessary. Vincent Boyer’s premier crus are all matured in a judicious one-third new oak. The reds are not exported to the United States. Importer: Michael Skurnik, Peter Vezan.

Bright, slightly hazy green-tinged yellow. Initially reduced nose opens with air to show pepper, licorice and mint. Then quite tight in the mouth but not hard, in a juicy, low-fat style compared to most of the 2012 Meursaults at this address. Lively flavors of lemon, lime, green apple and mint give this wine a riesling-like aspect. Good firm, echoing finish.