2007 Puligny Montrachet

(bottled in February of 2009, a month earlier than the Carillon crus) Good pale yellow. Subdued nose hints at peach, hazelnut and vanilla. Spicy, fresh and pure but on the lean side, with a slight youthful hard edge to the peach and stone flavors. Needs another six months to recover from the bottling.

Pale color. Aromas of peach, mint and licorice, with some minerality lurking. Offers modest real maturity, with the minty character carrying through on the palate. I don't find a lot of flesh or texture. Finishes a bit hard-edged. Is this representative? (Another cuvee was still in the middle of its malolactic fermentation.)

Carillon’s 2007 Puligny-Montrachet represents an assemblage from no fewer than 11 named sites, which are vinified in three lots. Grapefruit, orange, lemon, and quince give a lusciously citric impression underlain by firm stoniness; with a good sense of stuffing let also of lift; the whole effect being a bit Loire Chenin-like. Hints of toasted, salted nuts and peach kernel in the clear finish strike more typical Cote d’Or themes. I imagine that this will be worth following for at least 3-4 years. ||Carillon started picking the last of August, which he points out is exactly a week later than conventional calculations based on the early date of flowering would have led one to predict. He chaptalized most wines around a degree, to arrive at finished alcohol levels of 13-13.5% Carillon’s wines spend approximately a year in barrel – 15-20% new – with the lees stirred, followed by six months in tank. eRobertParker.com.December, 2009