2016 Domaine Étienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrières 1er Cru

(from a 1988 planting--younger than the Referts--on better-drained soil with more calcaire ): Distinctly more shy on the nose, hinting at white peach, apple, spices and minerals. Then less full on the palate but more taut and salty, with its pronounced minerality giving it more intensity and energy. Showing less personality in the early going than the Referts and uncompromisingly dry on the back end, with the combination of minerality and firm acidity giving excellent cut to the finish. There was no frost damage here and the crop level was a rather full 48 hectoliters per hectare.

The 2016 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières did not quite display the panache of the enticing Les Referts, though it is redeemed by a subtle touch of aniseed, a leitmotif among several other whites within the Côte de Beaune. The palate is very well balanced with a fine thread of acidity, crisp and taut, perhaps less showy and complex than the Les Referts, although there is plenty of freshness on the finish. If you want a strict, no-frills, straight-onto-the-fairway Puligny, this is where to come.