2016 Puligny Montrachet Les Referts

Bright medium yellow. Deep scents of apricot, very ripe peach, hazelnut and nutmeg; distinctly yellow in its fruit character. Enters the mouth thick, silky and highly concentrated but at the same dry, savory and alive, with its ripe yellow fruit flavors complemented by a note of marzipan. This voluminous wine boasts near-grand cru texture and palate presence. At my visit to this estate, I found this '16 tastier than its 2017 sibling but both vintages are superb. The very long, slowly rising finish spreads out horizontally and echoes on the aftertaste.

Dense and lively with real nerve. Excellent vibrancy. Lots to chew on but great balance for future development. Not rich but extremely refreshing and well constituted. Just a tiny bit light on the finish. (JR)

The 2016 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru les Referts has a really quite superb bouquet: vibrant and well defined, the 25% (or thereabouts) new oak neatly subsumed and with hints of grilled walnut and smoke coming through with time. The palate is very well balanced with crisp acidity and moderate weight in the mouth, perhaps not quite as detailed as the aromatics imply, but not far off. It retains admirable vigor from the start to its saline, marine-tinged finish, and it should drink well for a decade, possibly more.