Wine Advisor
Etienne Sauzet, Montrachet Grand Cru 2024
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Sauzet's 2024 Montrachet Grand Cru is beautiful, wafting from the glass with aromas of honeyed orchard fruits, ripe apricots, white flowers, freshly baked bread and bee pollen. Full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's pure, layered and voluminous, concluding with a broad, lavishly fruity finish. As usual, it's produced from must purchased from Baron Thénard.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2024 Montrachet Grand Cru comprises four barrels this year with one new, this coming from the Chassagne side of the vineyard. There was a bit of reduction on the nose here and perhaps because of this it did not quite translate the same degree of charm as the Bâtard-Montrachet. The palate is fresh on the entry, quite strict and linear. Lemon zest marks the finish to this Montrachet but it does not quite engage in the same way as Sauzet's best 2024s.
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.
