Wine Advisor
Etienne Sauzet, Montrachet Grand Cru 2013
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2013 Montrachet Grand Cru, of which there are four barrels this year, has a bashful nose at first, a king demanding coaxing from his chamber! There are certainly good mineral notes here, although I feel that the Bâtard-Montrachet is more complex at the moment. The palate is more regal with finely tuned acidity, reserved at the moment with tangible stony, almost flinty notes developing toward the peacock’s tail finish. This is very fine, but I actually think the Bâtard-Montrachet will give it a run for its money. However, I am more impressed by the 2013 than the 2012 last year.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(aged in one-third new barrels, the rest second use): Very pale, bright yellow. Ripe peach, musky lees, marzipan and spices on the almost exotic nose. Then very powerful, penetrating and extremely backward in the mouth, with dominant flavors of iodiney minerality and menthol. Youthfully tough today and phenolic on the back end. This will need considerable patience. The potential alcohol here was a healthy 13.2% and the finished wine weighs in at 13.5%.
About the Producer
Etienne Sauzet is an estate based in Puligny-Montrachet, making some of the most sought-after Chardonnay wines in Burgundy. Sauzet's wines are prized for their elegance at village level and for their extra weight and concentration at Premier and Grand Cru level. The portfolio includes leading examples of Chevalier-Montrachet, Le Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Champs Gain. The domaine is made up of 15 hectares (37 ac) of estate vineyards split between the communes of Puligny-Montrachet, Cormot-le-Grand and Chassagne-Montrachet with small amounts of fruit externally sourced. The grapes are fermented in oak and aged in barrel for around a year – premier crus see up to 33-percent new oak, while grand crus get 40-percent. After barrel aging, the wines are racked into tanks for another six months on lees. Etienne Sauzet was established at the forefront of Puligny-Montrachet production by Etienne Sauzet himself (1903-1975). His 12 hectare (30 ac) estate was taken over by his son-in-law Gérard Boudot, although in 1991 Boudot's cousin Jean-Marc Boillot took out his share of vineyards, requiring Boudot and his family to make additional acquisitions to bring the property back to its current size.
