2009 Domaine Étienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts 1er Cru

The 2009 Puligny Montrachet Les Referts (from 50+ year-old vines) is round, sweet and impeccably harmonious. It shows the influence of these compact soils in its plush fruit and extroverted, generous personality. I especially like the way the fruit continues to build toward the round, enveloping finish. This parcel is right next to the estate’s parcel in Perrieres, yet the wines are strikingly different owing to the greater presence of clay and the moisture-retentive soils. 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

Medium bright yellow. Aromatic nose combines peach, fresh apricot and acacia flower. Fat and sweet but not heavy, with lovely floral lift to its stone fruit flavors. A broad, dense premier cru with captivating energy and verve. Distinctly old-viney in its richness, conveying a small-berry character. These 60-year-old vines yielded a moderate 45 hectoliters per hectare in 2009, according to winemaking assistant Bernard Riffault. Plenty of potential here.