WTN: 2002 Puligny-Montrachet, Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet
I have avoided learning much about Burgundy so far. I love the wines from this region, but I worry that its convoluted swirl of soil types and tiny producers will trigger my obsessive personality, to the detriment of my pocketbook. So I skirt the edges of knowledge, wary of my own psyche as it hungrily eyes the intricate skein of Burgundy lore. But I can feel the beast rattling the cage, and I know that it's only a matter of time before I get sucked in. Until then, I can only offer a little information on the region.
Puligny-Montrachet, on the southern Côte de Beaune portion of the Côte d'Or, is one of the many villages allowed to use its name as a mini-appellation within Burgundy. If a wine says Puligny-Montrachet, any nearby vineyard might have contributed grapes. The fault lines that lay about like pick-up sticks create a mix of soils throughout the area, but the Côte de Beaune tends to have more chalk than its sister slopes to the north, a soil that favors the chardonnay grape, one of two grapes allowed in a Burgundy white (the aligoté produces very light, simple wines). I consider these wines to be among the very best expressions of this grape (the others come from nearby Chablis and Champagne).
Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet has enjoyed an upswing in reviews, and many credit this to Etienne de Montille, who the domaine hired in time to oversee the 2001 vintage. According to one reviewer, M. de Montille has a gentler hand with the grapes than his predecessor. I've not had previous bottles from this producer, so I can not comment. All I know is that when one of our regular wine stores invited Melissa back to the staff room to try some of this wine, she called me and had me meet her there so that I could try some as well. We bought two bottles.
2002 Puligny-Montrachet, Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet, somewhere around $45
This pale-yellow wine has the clean mineral aromas you'd expect from a good white Burgundy, along with pretty but subtle floral notes topped with a layer of crisp apple. The apple and mineral reappear as flavors when you take a sip, joined by a refreshing acidity. The long, floral finish allows you to appreciate the balance of this elegant and crisp wine. Chalk-grown Chardonnay is often paired with oysters and shellfish, but we drank this wine with a wheel of Époisses. These two products from the same region worked nicely together, the crisp acidity of the wine slicing through the silky cheese.
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