2010 Puligny Montrachet Les Caillerets

The 2010 Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret bristles on the palate with tons of energy and focus. The Cailleret is vibrant, chiseled and beautifully articulated from start to finish. It is at once broad yet pointed, in a marvelous expression of site and vintage. Alix de Montille did a fabulous job with the 2010. This is a superb showing. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Etienne and Alix de Montille have done quite a bit of work to simplify and streamline their lineup following their purchase of the Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet. There will now be three distinct lines; all of the entry-level wines will be marketed under the Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet label, while all of the top appellations will be sold under the Domaine de Montille label. The Deux Montille range of negociant wines will be used to fill out the offering, but the number of wines will be streamlined to allow the winemaking team to have greater focus. As for the 2010s, they are just as fabulous as I thought they would be when I tasted most of the wines from barrel last year. This is the type of year in which Alix de Montille excels, and she certainly captured the essence of the vintage with these current releases. Various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808

Pale, green-tinged yellow. Ripe yellow fruits and acacia blossom on the nose. Rich, ripe and sweet, with apricot, peach and spice flavors framed by lively acidity. A strong powdered stone quality gives this very juicy wine an impression of chewiness without weight. Savory and very long on the finish. Offers outstanding potential.

The 2010 Puligny-Montrachet Caillerets is richer and deeper than the Champ Gains. Here the fruit tends towards yellow stone fruits. The minerality is a bit subdued by the wine’s layers of seductive, enveloping fruit. A creamy, deep finish rounds things out in style. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. (Not yet released) Alix de Montille is going for a taut style with the whites she makes at the Domaine and at Deux Montille, the negociant operation she runs with her brother Etienne. The 2009s are quite strong across the board. Unfortuantely I was only able to taste a partial lineup of the 2010s (for both the Domaine and Deux Montille) as several of the wines were still in malo. Based on what I tasted in barrel, 2010 is a much more exciting vintage here, and one that gave de Montille the perfect conditions to make wines in her style. The 2010s show enormous promise. I can hardly wait to taste them in finished form. The wines from Domaine de Montille are reviewed separately. Various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808