Critic ratings
vinous
2017
Rating:
91
–93
(from 55-year-old vines; 10% new oak): Bright yellow with a green tinge. Expressive, very ripe aromas of peach, orange zest and spicy oak, plus a suggestion of menthol. Sappy, concentrated wine with modest sweetness but lovely savory minerality. A rather concentrated wine with a firm edge of acidity and a slowly mounting finish featuring a note of modestly ripe peach and a chewy phenolic quality. One feels the millerandage here, as well as a touch of finishing warmth. (picked on the third day of the harvest with 13.8% potential alcohol)
robert_parker
2007
Rating:
88
–88
Tasted blind at Farr Vintners Kumeu/White Burgundy tasting. The 2007 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru les Referts from Jean-Philippe Fichet has a refined bouquet with light hazelnut and lychee scents infusing the dry, honeyed aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with a crisp, tensile entry, well-judged acidity and a gentle build to what feels like a fully mature finish that shows both a touch of oxidation and spiciness. This is at its peak now and should be consumed over the next two or three years.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
88
–88
Tasted blind at the annual “Burgfest” tasting in Bouilland. The 2013 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts has a lime cordial-scented bouquet with orange blossom and peach notes following behind. It is attractive even if it does not articulate its terroir like (what transpired to be) the Les Referts from Bachelet-Monnot. The palate is pleasantly saline on the entry. It is actually more complex and shows more typicité than the aromatics, with a satisfying spice-tinged finish. It loses some of its complexity with aeration but just about holds in there. Tasted May 2016.
robert_parker
2017
Rating:
90
–93
Fichet's lone premier cru, the 2017 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts exhibits pretty aromas of lemon oil, white flowers and crushed chalk, followed by a medium to full-bodied, delicately textural and decidedly elegant palate, with tangy acids but seemingly not quite the depth or length of his Meursault Le Tesson.
robert_parker
2010
Rating:
93
–93
The 2010 Puligny-Montrachet Referts is big, rich and boisterous, and as such, stands apart from the rest of the wines in the lineup. Smoke, incense, slate and juicy apricots burst from the glass in this highly expressive, sumptuous wine. The 2010 impresses for its rich, layered personality, but there is plenty of underlying support for this to develop nicely over the coming years. This is an absolutely gorgeous showing. Anticipated maturity: 2013+.
This is a gorgeous set of wines from Jean-Philippe Fichet. The 2010s have great energy and freshness. Much of that is, of course, the personality of the vintage, but Fichet is also among the growers who use a fair bit of larger 600-liter barrels, which helps maintain a fair amount of cut and sheer energy.
Importer: The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484
robert_parker
2011
Rating:
85
–85
Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts from Jean-Philippe Fichet seems to show a lot of oak on the nose that rather smothers the definition. The palate is rather smudged with popcorn and walnut notes, a nod to Meursault perhaps? But it is missing some finesse and delineation on the finish.
