2023 Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru 'Les Combettes'

This relatively small estate is located in the village of Puligny Montrachet. Gérard Boudot is married to the granddaughter of Etienne Sauzet and has managed the estate since 1974. Little by little, he managed to rediscover the typical characteristics of the various terroirs, and for the last ten years, he has been producing magnificent Puligny wines. He now works together with his daughter. Gérard Boudot derives the concentration of his wines from a harvest picked as late as possible and in good health. He achieves the finesse and the characteristic elegance through his slow vinification. This harmony is found in both his standard Chardonnay and his Grand Crus, each time displaying the very typical terroir nuances. Known worldwide, these wines have become almost impossible to find. For several years now, Gérard Boudot has been assisted by his daughter Emilie and son-in-law Benoit Riffault. In recent years, Benoit has been responsible for winemaking, with Gérard in a coaching role in the background.

Benoît Riffault is pleased with his 2022 wines, and with good reason, as this ranks among his best vintages to date. His harvest dates were more or less the same as in 2020, so relatively speaking slightly earlier, and this translates into impeccable balance across the board. Hand-harvested fruit is pressed without crushing. The pressing cycle lasts about three and a half hours and performs "a considerable number," that is to say, more than 20 rotations. The must is sulfited at the end of the pressing and settles for 24 hours, but Riffault retains the majority of the lees and ferments in wood. Larger formats, including foudres, now complement 228-liter Burgundian barrels. The wines are stored in tanks in July/August before the new vintage begins, while the premiers and grands crus spend as much as six months on their lees before bottling. All Sauzet wines are bottled with high-quality, unbleached natural cork.

The 'Les Combettes' plot lies between the other Premier Crus 'Champ-Canet' and 'Les Referts', and is situated directly adjacent to Meursault. The Puligny Montrachet 'Les Combettes' 1er Cru 2022 has a pure, precise bouquet of wet limestone, Granny Smith apples, menthol, and light scents of sea spray that can only originate from this appellation. The taste is very balanced, one of the most powerful Premier Crus from Sauzet. It possesses perhaps the zesty and, in terms of texture, the most satisfying finish, which lingers long in the mouth. Only 5,750 bottles were produced in 2022.