2011 Puligny Montrachet Les Caillerets
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The aromatics on the Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru les Caillerets 2011 is more austere than Anne-Claude Leflaive’s Clavoillon, but it is beautifully defined with wet limestone and sea cave scents that with aeration become very intense. The palate is crisp and taut with very fine tension. It just loses a little intensity toward the finish, but it possesses a surfeit of freshness and precision. This was one of the best white 2011s Burgundy wines that I tasted during an intensive week of peer group tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(bottled three weeks prior to my visit; 20% new oak): Lemon, lime, crushed stone and some noble herbal high notes on the nose. Citrussy and penetrating, with a hint of youthful bitterness to the lime leaf and chalky mineral flavors. Very pure, juicy, mineral-driven wine with sneaky depth and a persistent, vibrating finish. This is 12.7% alcohol following about 0.3% of chaptalization, notes Alix de Montille.
(these vines, which are high on the hill and shaded by the forest above, were picked late, noted Etienne de Montille, and the yield was under 25 hectoliters per hectare): Bright pale yellow. Knockout nose combines pineapple, musky white flowers and botanical herbs (Riesling Schlossberg?). Sweet and tactile but light on its feet, with almost painful lift to its saline flavors of citrus peel and crushed stone. Not especially fleshy but very long and bright on the aftertaste, and not at all austere. A very impressive showing.
About the producer
Volnay’s Domaine de Montille is one of the most historic in the Côte d’Or. Founded in 1730, the property remains family-owned and run, with Etienne de Montille – the ninth generation – at the helm today.