91 Points W&S - This old Vines Puligny-Montrachet is from 65 year vines from the south of the Côte de Beaune home to the most famous Grands Crus vineyards (Bienvenues-Bâtard Montrachet, Bâtard Montrachet, Montrachet and Chevalier Montrachet). The grapes are harvested and sorted by hand when picked and then gently pressed in a pneumatic press at low pressure to get a slow extraction.  The wine is then fined and gently filtered before bottling following the lunar calendar, on a "fruit day, to produce a wine of incredible freshness and minerality.

About the Producer

In May 2012, Vincent Girardin sold his business to Jean-Pierre Nié, the owner of Compagnie des Vins dAutrefois in Beaune. Jean-Pierre, very sensibly, took the decision not only to retain Eric Germain (head winemaker) and Marco Caschera (sales and exports) but to make them substantial shareholders in the business.

As far as we are concerned, nothing has changed. They continue to work with the highest quality raw materials and Eric Germain continues to make the wines, as he has done for over fifteen years. Indeed, now that Eric is entirely free from other constraints, we have noticed the wines gain in precision over the last few vintages! There is no bâtonnage and extended maturation in barrel, giving the white wines greater tension, elegance, energy and purity.

Taste

Winemakers tasting note: Powerful wine with mineral notes and a well-integrated acidity. The most mineral wine among the white villages wines from the Côte de Beaune, especially Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault. The nose suggests fern, hawthorn, ripe grapes, marzipan, hazelnut, amber, lemongrass, green apple. Mineral (flint) and lactic (butter) aromas are frequent. Honey is usual, especially after a few years of keeping. The body and the bouquet melt with age. Concentration is remarkable.

Awards

91 Points W&S