Puligny-Montrachet
1er Cru Champ Gain 2020
One area in the central Côte de Beaune is devoted to the production of Burgundy’s great white wines including Puligny-Montrachet which is
incontestably one of its most glorious examples…
Origin
Puligny’s soil is almost exclusively given over to the cultivation of Chardonnay grapes. The word “terroir” rarely carries the importance it does here; a difference of just a few metres is sufficient to create various nuances in the wines.
This climat stretches over big parcels that are long rather than large.Its name comes from ancient French gaaing, gaïn "pasture land, arable land". These were thus meadows or cultivated fields before vines were planted there.
Viticulture
Grape variety: chardonnay
Soils: rich, very stony and shallow.
Orientation: South/East
Pruning: Guyot system
Average age of the vine: 45 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 25 August 2020.
The grapes were handpicked.
At the winery: The whole bunches of grapes were gently pressed for 2½ hours. The temperature of the must was brought down to 12°C then was immediately transferred to barrels with no settling to preserve a maximum of lees. Long fermentation using indigenous yeasts for added complexity and freshness.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 17 months, with a barrel of one wine, without racking or stirring to accentuate the mineral qualities of the wine but also to preserve a maximum of fruity and floral aromas.
Barrels: Oak of French origin toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a subtle, delicate touch of oak were used.
Bottling
Bottling: The wine was not fined but was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in March 2022.
Number of bottles: 300.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes.
'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: From 9 to 15 years.
Awards
JamesSuckling.com - 96/100
Tasting notes
The color is pale yellow with nice green reflections. The very elegant nose will seduce you with its charming aromas of white fruits and citrus fruits, associated with grilled and mineral notes. On the palate, the wine is balanced, with a very nice mineral tension, revealing a very nice smoothness.
