Wine Advisor
Etienne Sauzet, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru has a nuanced bouquet that needs time in the glass. Gradually opening with crushed limestone, hints of white peach and citrus fruit. Superb delineation. The palate is very well balanced with fine acidity, taut and fresh, quite spicy towards the finish. Pretty and alluring. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Puligny-Montrachet les Combettes 1er Cru comes from a single parcel of vines that abuts the Meursault Charmes of Comtes Lafon over the border. It has a strict bouquet of well defined crushed stone aromas, hints of orange blossom surfacing with time in the glass. The palate is well balanced with a lightly spiced opening. Impressive weight in the mouth here. The pithy, stone fruit finish leaves a dash of ginger on the aftertaste. This is an excellent Les Combettes.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru has a nuanced bouquet that needs time in the glass. Gradually opening with crushed limestone, hints of white peach and citrus fruit. Superb delineation. The palate is very well balanced with fine acidity, taut and fresh, quite spicy towards the finish. Pretty and alluring. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting.
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.
