Wine Advisor
Etienne Sauzet, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Puligny-Montrachet 1e Cru Les Referts has a tightly wound, more tertiary bouquet than the Hameau de Blagny. It gradually opens and offers scents of cold steel and flint scents, distant and a bit aloof. The palate is very refined with a keen thread of acidity, nicely focused with a saline, quite precise finish that lingers in the mouth. This is another fine premier cru from Sauzet that should age with style and may end up at the top of my banded score.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(these degenerating, virused vines on clay-rich soil, which Boudot will begin replanting soon, always produce a small crop): Bright straw-yellow. Deep aromas of orchard fruits and hazelnut. Plush and rather powerful, offering savory flavors of apple, peach, minerals and spices. A larger-scaled premier cru with a long, tactile finish showing very good grip.
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.
