2011 Puligny Montrachet Clos de la Mouchere

Good full yellow-straw color. Musky ripe peach, crushed stone and a whiff of truffle on the rather saline nose. Rich and seamless, with lovely generosity of texture to the flavors of ripe peach and salted butter. Not particularly high-pitched but has sound acidity for all its fat. Best today on the tactile, rising, very long finish.

(4.5 g/l acidity with a pH of 3.09, according to Boillot): Bright pale yellow. Subtly complex aromas of stone fruits, wild herbs, coffee, flowers and saline minerality. Creamy, classy and suave, with captivating flavors of caramel and beurre sale lifted by a brisk citrus element. Wonderfully dense, dry and uncompromising wine with superb lift and a very long, mounting finish.

The 2011 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchere is one of the most understated of the Puligny premier crus. At first rather closed, the Clos de la Mouchere blossoms as soon as intense, saline notes hit the mid-palate. Here, too, there is considerable energy in the glass, but in a much less obvious style than the Pucelles. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. (Not yet released) Henri Boillot recently finished his move to a new modern cellar in Champ Lins, one of the industrial sections of Meursault. Boillot describes his 2011s as having a bit more richness and better balance of fruit and acidity than the 2010s. Based on what I tasted, it’s hard to argue that point. Boillot seems to be one case where the 2011s have the potential to be better across the board than the 2010s. As is often the case here, the village wines are particularly strong. Importers: Massanois Imports, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 470-6769, Cynthia Hurley French Wines, West Newton, MA Tel 617-965-4251 www.cynthiahurley.com and Chelsea Ventures, LLC, 1601 South Canal St, Chicago, IL 60616 tel. 847-920-5052