Carillon

Sept./Oct. 2005

While some of his neighbors compare 2004 to 2000, Jacques Carillon says the new vintage is more like a combination of 2000 and 2002: "like 2000 but with more structure, more richness, more fullness." As is quite often the case here, the 2004s were slow to complete their malolactic fermentations. I tasted barrels that had finished-or almost finished-their secondary fermentations. (Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Shekomeko, NY)

2004 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Champ Canet 89-91

Lemon and minerals on the nose. Brisk, gripping and quite dry, with penetrating flavors of grapefruit, pineapple, flowers and minerals. Still a bit of malic acidity remaining. This offers good stuffing and a lovely sugar/acid balance. Finishes persistent and aromatic. I suspect this will be even fatter once the malolactic fermentation has finished.

2004 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Combettes 87-90

Cool nose hints at menthol. Then fat and broad in the mouth; at once rounder and less concentrated than the Champs-Canet. A fairly large-scaled, sweet style of 2004, but with very good rather than outstanding intensity. This should be accessible early.

2004 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Perrieres 89-91

Pale color. Perfumed aromas of ginger, rose petal and baking spices. Dense, chewy and dry, with complex flavors of minerals, crushed stone and exotic spices. Some CO2 is keeping this quite brisk today. Finishes with very good cut and length.

2004 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Referts 89-91

Lower-pitched aromas of citrus skin, minerals and menthol. Fat, sweet and chewy, with a layered texture. Not hugely concentrated, but offers a lovely combination of fresh acids, richness and minerality.

2004 Domaine Louis Carillon Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 91-94

Clean, complex floral nose. Rich and creamy-sweet, with a rather lush, gentle texture but also lovely cut. Complex, musky flavors of lemon, minerals, charred oak and exotic spices. This is impressively fat, rich and long. From a yield of 40 hectoliters per hectare, according to Carillon, with acidity of 4.1 grams per liter and a pH of 3.42.

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet 85

($56-$60) Slightly high-toned nose hints at licorice and mint. Rather slight in the mouth, with decent acidity but limited gras. With modest material, the finish seems a tad dry.

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Mercurey Blanc Champs Martin 85

($45) Musky, honeyed nose. Offers good sweetness of fruit but also a faint underlying greenness. Today this comes across as less exotic and less typically 2003 than the Puligny villages, but this is a wine of modest depth and structure.

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Champ Canet 87

($100) Musky, minty, oaky nose shows some exotic hints. Supple and nicely concentrated, with slightly exotic flavors of peach and musky citrus fruits. With low acidity, this comes across as quite fat.

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Combettes 88

($100-$105) Reticent but pure nose. Juicy and minerally in the mouth, with nicely integrated acidity. Less concentrated and fat than the Champs-Canet, but perhaps more typical of the cru and less obviously 2003 in character. Ultimately fresher than the Champs-Canet and perfectly drinkable already.

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Perrieres 88(+?)

($92-$100) Pure aromas of stone fruits, hazelnut and spiced apple. Supple and dry in the middle palate if a bit youthfully inexpressive. A spicy, minerally wine with sound acidity. Finishes with an impression of austerity, with a bit of acidity yet to be absorbed. Unlike the last couple of wines, this really needs a couple years of aging.

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 92

($222-$325) Very ripe, pure aroma of peach, flowers and mint. Densely packed and sweet; almost sugary. Wonderfully sweet, creamy, peachy wine; the densest and chewiest of these 2003s but not at all heavy, owing to its vibrant minerality. In fact, the overall impression here is of sound, harmonious acidity. This, the Combettes and the Perrieres have tightened up since the bottling last December, notes Carillon, who told me that the acid levels of these wines are in the decent 3.5 range.

Sept./Oct. 2004

Jacques Carillon describes his family's 2003s as "in the style of New World chardonnay: low in acidity and less minerally than normal. "The 2002 vintage, he went on, "is more the style of wine we like: fat, minerally, and with good acidity; true to Burgundy The estate produced barely 25% of a normal crop in 2003 due to frost, three incidents of hail, and extreme heat that resulted in a harvest significantly earlier than the normal 100 days after the flowering (the Carillons picked from August 26 through 30). The estate acidified for the first time since 1994, Carillon told me, and the malos were all over by December, at which point the Carillons stopped stirring the lees. The wines, Carillon noted, will be bottled on the early side (between September and December of this year) and will be best suited for drinking after two or three years. (Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Shekomeko NY Vineyard Brands, Birmingham AL

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet 86-89

From the Meursault side of the appellation: Aromas of peach, smoke and nuts. Fat, sweet and stuffed with fruit, but less lively than normal for this cuvee Leesy and smoky notes reminded me of Champagne From the Chassagne-Montrachet side: Nuts, flowers and minerals on the nose; livelier than the first sample. Sweet and open but vibrant. This is also rather fat and full.

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Champ Canet 88-90

Peach, nut oil and spicy oak on the nose. Sweet, rich and layered, with nicely concentrated, ripe fruit flavors supported by a touch of minerality and decent acidity. This offers good life for the vintage and avoids heaviness, but will still be for drinking young.

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Combettes 87-89

Subdued but very ripe aromas of nut oil and orange juice. Round, fat, sweet and accessible; less minerally than the Champs-Canet. Very easygoing wine with good size, if not the length of the best vintages. This will make a perfect restaurant wine.

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Perrieres 88-91

Reticent aromas of hazelnut and spring flowers. Nicely concentrated and intense, with more minerality and firm acidity shaping and extending the wine's flavors. Less open today than the Combettes, and likely to benefit from two or three years of bottle aging.

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Referts 88-91

Perfumed aromas of lime and pineapple. The pineapple flavor carries through in the mouth. Superrich and chewy, with strong material. Not especially fleshy today owing to its firm minerality. Like the Perrieres, this is showing a good bit of oak.

2003 Domaine Louis Carillon Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 89-93

(aging in just a single two-year-old barrel) Tangerine, peach and flowers on the nose. Superconcentrated and stuffed with soft citrus fruit. Chewy and fat wine, with terrific density of material. This boasts very good acidity for the vintage, yet comes across as less minerally and long than usual for this cuvee , as well as less vibrant and nuanced. Finishes with a bit of youthful toughness.

2002 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet 89(+?)

($56; bottled in February of 2004; the crus were bottled in March) Pungent aromas of spices and minerals. Spicy, minerally and lively but a bit closed, even disjointed, today, with the wine's sound acids not yet completely integrated. This village wine needs a good three or four years, while the Carillon crus really call for more like five to eight years of patience.

2002 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Champ Canet 90(+?)

($87) Reticent, oak-dominated aromas of nut oil, marzipan, clove and smoke. Dense, floral and quite fine, with mineral and acacia flower notes enlivened by bright acidity. Not especially austere today, but this is currently hiding more than it's revealing.

2002 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Combettes 89(+?)

($92) Ripe aromas and flavors of acacia flower, marzipan and nutty oak. Comes across as less sweet than the Champs-Canet, with solid minerality contributing to the impression of tightness. Vibrant today but not fleshy. This wine's firm spine calls for five or six years of additional bottle aging.

2002 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Perrieres 92(+?)

($83) Complex, pure nose combines lemon, menthol, flowers and minerals. A step up in intensity from the foregoing samples, with racy acidity giving shape and grip to the flavors of citrus skin, flowers, minerals and dusty stone. A tactile, chewy, gripping wine with terrific precision, cut and persistence. This was late to finish its malolactic fermentation and still seems quite youthfully unevolved.

2002 Domaine Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Referts 92(+?)

Peach, minerals and clove on the nose. Fat on entry, then quite backward in the middle palate, with noteworthy precision and minerality. Shows less volume and a less enveloping texture today than the Perrieres, but superb purity of citrus and mineral flavors. A wine of noteworthy refinement, finishing very long and minerally.

2002 Domaine Louis Carillon Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 94(+?)

($199) Highly complex nose melds peach, nut oil, marzipan, clove, minerals and crushed stone. Wonderfully fat but bracing fruit offers terrific purity and citric thrust, with the new oak component adding a subtle sweetness. The highest in acidity of these 2002s at 4. 4 grams per liter. A very closed vin de garde , in need of a good eight years of patience. One barrel was new out of just over two barrels produced.

September 30, 2003

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 2000 95

Smoke, cut grass, game. Memorable aromas. Incredible class, with ripe fruit, fresh acidity, wonderful balance. Needs time.

Sept./Oct. 2003

Round and fat wines in the style of 2000," was how Jacques Carillon described this estate's 2001s. Compared to 2001, Carillon added, acid levels were higher in 2002 and yields were lower (38 to 43 hectoliters per hectare in the premier crus and 38 for the Bienvenue-Batard-Montrachet). Carillon, who noted that a few of the 2002s still had a bit of malic acidity and thus were a bit leesy and unclean at the time of my visit, felt the wines were in a rather fruity stage. He predicted that they would shut down after the bottling and need four or five years to reach the peak of their drinkability, and a bit more for the estate's grand cru.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 2002 88 - 90

Aromas of spicy, nutty oak, with just a hint of appley malic acidity. Rich, round and fat, but with lively citric flavors and sound balancing acidity. This should be delicious in its youth.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 2002 89-92

Quite minerally on the nose. More intensely flavored than the Combettes, with a vibrant juicy quality and firm backbone. This is only about three-quarters of the way through its malo, says Carillon. Minerally through and through, and long, brisk and spicy on the aftertaste. (The Puligny-Montrachet Perrieres seemed of equal quality, but was drier from its malic acidity and even less evolved.)

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 2002 90-94

(malo finished, sulfited a week prior to my visit) Pure aromas of lemon, lime and stone. Generous, sweet and long in the mouth. Really opens out on the end, finishing surprisingly ample and rich considering the recent SO2 addition. Offers the sappy sugar/acid balance of the vintage's better examples.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 2002 92-96

(also sulfured several days before my visit following the end of the malolactic fermentation) Deep, rich aromas of peach, citrus skin, nut oil and spicy oak. Superconcentrated, compellingly sweet flavors of grapefruit, tangerine and grilled nuts. Chewy and thick but suave and bright. Like Carillon's premier crus with the volume turned up: comes across as higher in acidity but with more buffering fat as well. Firm, dry and very long on the back. Too much Bienvenue-Batard is premier cru in quality, but this is true grand cru.

Puligny Montrachet 2001 87

(bottled in February) Orange oil and other soft citrus scents. Creamy, round and fruit-driven, with adequate acidity and modest complexity. Finishes slightly hard-edged but persistent. Shows its minerality on the end.

Mercurey "Champs Martin" 2001 87

(from a 1998 planting; the Carillon family owns the vines but another grower works the vines and keeps two-thirds of the crop) Ripe if somewhat shallow aromas of nuts and spices. Juicy, fresh and supple, with ripe citrus flavors. Agreeable, round wine that should give early pleasure.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 2001 89

(from 38-year-old vines; bottled with the other premier crus in March of 2003) Precise aromas of peach and talc. Fresh, supple and juicy, with a ripe peach flavor supported by firm minerality. Offers very good volume and sweetness and a persistent peachy finish.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 2001 88

(from vines planted in 1992) Open, fruit-driven aromas of tangerine and nectarine. Round, fresh and sweet, if less concentrated, minerally and intense than the Champs-Canet. Offers moderate stuffing but more structure than Carillon's village offering.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 2001 91(+?)

Subtle aromas of peach, soft citrus fruits and stone. Juicy and firm but rather tightly wound today, with a strong mineral character contributing to the wine's inner-mouth energy. A solidly structured 2001 that really needs a couple years of bottle aging.

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 2001 91

Complex tangy nose hints at soft citrus fruits and smoky oak. Sweeter, softer and fatter than the Perrieres but still with solid backbone and good freshness. Seems much more open today, but Carillon says this will surely shut down in bottle. More fruit-driven than the stonier Perrieres.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 2001 92(+?)

(one of the two barrels was new; Carillon's premier crus get about 20% new oak) Perfumed aromas of peach, minerals and spicy, nutty oak. Rich, creamy and sweet, with mouthfilling flavors of peach and coconutty oak. The wine's lovely chewy fruit currently masks its firm underlying structure. Finishes with excellent length and grip. Quite young and in need of a few years of aging.

To Jacques Carillon, this estate's winemaker," the 2001s are wines of richness and fat, with round personalities and excellent balance. They have a great deal in common with the 2002s". This highly-respected estate's winemaking philosophies include leaving the wines to ferment on their lees for a year in barrel, then racking them with only the finest lees into stainless steel vats in the Augustfollowing the harvest. Six months later, in February, the wines are fined, then racked again in March before being filtered and bottled. The estate's village offering has a slightly shorter Èlevage, and is bottled in January.

The 2001 Puligny Montrachet was undergoing the bottling process when I visited the estate, it was therefore tasted both from tank and bottle. White flowers and lemons can be found in its nose. A light to medium bodied, supple satin-textured wine, its displays juicy, pear and citrus flavors. Drink it over the next 4 years.

Aromatically, the rich plump 2001 Puligny-Montrachet Champs-Canet exhibits liquid minerals and spices. Medium-bodied and satin-textured, it is a delightfully seductive, concentrated wine. Loads of plump juicy pears are intermingled with tangy minerals in its lush personality and extensive finish. Enjoy this beauty over the next 7 years.

Produced from vines planted in 1992, the 2001 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes was suffering from reduction (a chemical state in which the wine's molecules are lacking oxygen, reflected by burnt rubber-like aromas and flavors) when I visited the estate. On the palate, this wine is suave, light to medium-bodied and well-balanced. With aeration, appealing notes of candied citrus and pears could be discerned. As this wine is racked and handled prior to bottling, its reductive characteristics are sure to blow-off, resulting in a broader, more expressive personality. Projected maturity: now-2009

Displaying superb aromatic depth, the 2001 Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrieres reveals spiced pear and mineral scents. An ample expansive wine, its silky-textured, light to medium-bodied personality boasts honeyed mineral and crisp pear flavors. Drink it over the next 7 years.

The concentrated, spiced apple-scented 2001 Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts is light to medium-bodied, pure and exhibits outstanding depth. Lemons, minerals, and pears can be found in its broad, expressive character. Anticipated maturity: now-2009

A measly forty-two bottles of the Bienvenue-Batard-Montrachet are allocated annually to the United States, 24 to Vineyard Brands and 18 to Neal Rosenthal. The 2001 displays aromas of minerals, spices, and green apples. This light to medium-bodied, gorgeously defined effort is medium-bodied, satin-textured, and exhibits superb clarity of flavor. Spices and pears can be detected in its youthfully tight personality as well as throughout its exceptionally long finish. Unlike the overwhelming majority of the 2001's, this wine will require cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2016

Winter 2003
Clive Coates, M.W.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 2001

Less expressive on the nose today than their Combettes. But splendid on the palate. Fullish body. Racy, rich and ripe. Very good minerally style. Long and intense. Delicious. Fine quality here. From 2007.

Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet 2001

Lovely soft, peachy-flowery nose. Discreet. Yet persistent. Very elegant. Fullish body. Very delicious. Ripe and honeyed, yet very good acidity. This is very long and intense. Very lovely. Very fine. From 2008.

Sep/Oct 2002

The 2001 and 2000 harvests brought fruit with similar sugars and acids, Francois Carillon told me at the beginning of June. But the crop was a good 10% smaller in 2001 due to some cold weather during the flowering, and because July was warmer and drier than the previous year," he explained. "Also, the vines were tired after two large crops. But the harvest itself took place under considerably cooler conditions in 2001 than in 2000." Carillon, who likes strongly soil-inflected, stony vintages best, prefers 1999 to both 2000 and 2001, describing the earlier set of wines as "less round and fat, but very minerally, more subtle and complex." The 2000s are also minerally, he adds, but in a fatter style. I got the distinct impression that Carillon harvested on the early side in 2001, getting very sound acidity to go with moderate grape sugars.

Puligny Montrachet 2001 87-89

(still on its lees; the secondary fermentation finished a month prior to my visit) Peach, lemon and stone on the nose. Firm and spicy but also ripe and aromatic, with good backbone and solid acidity. Classic steely Puligny flavors of peach, citrus skin and stone. Finishes brisk and minerally.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 2001 89-92

(malo finished two weeks ago) Pure, cool, precise aromas of lime, mint and wet stone, with a hint of dried fruits. Flavors similar to the aromas; youthfully lean and brisk but with good underlying density. Not a fat style but juicy, vibrant and sharply focused. Citrus and mineral finishing flavors offer sneaky length.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 2001 88-90

(still a bit of malic acidity remaining) Strong lime aroma. Dense but juicy; showing more sheer sucrosity and less mineral character than the Champs-Canet. Rounder, easier wine, with less acidity and concentration. Fat and enticing, but without the grip of Carillon best crus in 2001 - no surprise, as this is from ten-year-old vines.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 2001 91-93

(malo finished a month ago) Highly aromatic nose of peach, ginger and nut oil. Round and rich, but with strong acidity and underlying minerality giving it excellent freshness and spine. At once harmonious and penetrating. A textbook Puligny-Montrachet.

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 2001 91-93

(malo finished one month ago) Cool, steely aromas of spring flowers, lime, apricot and nut oil. Fatter and more enveloping than usual for this cru, perhaps because it a bit less minerally in 2001. But the intense spice and citrus flavors are rather unforthcoming today despite the harmonious acidity. A chewy, dense wine that still rather folded in on itself.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 2001 92-95

Sweet, highly perfumed aromas of apricot, ripe peach and spicy oak. The sweetest of these 2001s, with an almost exotic spiciness, but also fresh and vibrant, like a perfectly ripe peach. Offers a rare combination of bright acids and tactile texture. Very long, youthfully aggressive finish.

Puligny Montrachet 2000 88

Pure aromas of peach, minerals and menthol. Supple and fresh, with classic ripe Puligny flavors of peach and minerals. Still a bit youthfully tight, and less complex today than the 2001. But this has good flavor intensity and thorough ripeness.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 2000 89

Subtle aromas of peach blossom, spicy oak and nut oil. Round, supple, full and sweet, with harmonious acidity and some minerality giving shape to the wine. Lovely fruit-driven chardonnay.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 2000 89

Nose dominated by peach and apricot. Sweet and supple, with moderately concentrated flavors of stone fruits. Shows some minerality and grip, but essentially a fruity style of Puligny, nicely made and well-balanced.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 2000 91(+?)

More complex aromas of stone fruits, flint, minerals, smoke and nutty, vanillin oak. Juicy and aromatic in the mouth but tightly wound, with a stronger impression of minerality than the Champs-Canet or Combettes. A distinct step up in flavor intensity. Finishes with a hint of youthful bitterness and excellent grip. This should benefit from six or seven years of additional bottle aging.

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 2000 92

Pure, subtle, reticent aromas of dried fruits, nut oil and nutty oak. Dense, fat and tactile; sweeter and bigger in the mouth than the Perrieres but can't quite match the 2001 Referts for urgency or complexity of flavor. Shows sweet oak on the lingering finish.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 2000 93(+?)

Cool, closed nose hints at citrus skin, menthol and subtle oak spice. Fat and rich but austere today; the wine urgent fruit and strong mineral underpinning make it almost painful to taste now. But the strong peach and pineapple flavors and harmonious acidity suggest that this very long, brisk wine will be superb seven or eight years down the road and will merit an even higher score.

Sep/Oct 2001

The 2000 growing season brought one of the all-time earliest harvests, according to Francois Carillon. Picking started on the first allowable day, September 11; previous early harvests were in '92 (September 12) and '76 (September 6). The Carillons did a longer decanting of the must than usual, then stirred the lees every two weeks until the end of the malolactic fermentations. Francois told me that the 2000s here were a bit lower in both grape sugars and acidity than the '99s, and tended to finish their fermentations with slightly higher residual sugar. The result, according to my tasting, is a rather easygoing set of 2000s, without quite the stony grip of the '99s. For his own part, Carillon describes the earlier vintage as more minerally and "a more typical Burgundy style."

Puligny Montrachet 2000 86-88

Sample #1, from the Chassagne side: Peach and pear on the nose. Round, rich and easy, with rather exuberant fruit and spice showing, and shaped by firm, ripe acidity. Sample #2, from vines closer to Meursault: Less fruit and more nuts on the nose. More complex flavors of minerals and nut oil.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 2000 87-90

Very ripe peach aroma bordering on exotic. Fat and broad, with ripe nut oil and spice flavors framed by a lemony edge. Good balancing acidity.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 2000 87-89

Expressive, leesy aroma of peach, smoke and nuts. Rich, round and ripe; conveys an impression of fat more than structure. A rather easygoing wine that should provide early pleasure. Perhaps a bit less persistent than the Champs-Canet.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 2000 89-91

Reticent nose hints at lemon skin, clove and stone. Juicy and intensely flavored; more obviously structured than the Champs-Canet and Combettes, with firmer acidity and mineral spine. Notes of peach and nutmeg. This has real Puligny finesse, and a firmly mineral back end.

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 2000 89-92

Peach, nut oil, mint and charry oak on the complex nose. Sweet, nutty and oily; fat, rich and atypically easygoing for this wine, which is usually more austere at this stage. But there solid spine underneath the flesh. The most complete of the Carillon premier crus in 2000, offering a solid combination of fat and finesse.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 2000 91-93

Exotic, expressive aromas of pineapple, lemon oil, smoked meat and spicy oak. Strongly mineral in the mouth, but leavened by ripe pineapple and sweet, spicy oak. Lovely fruit here. Can't quite match the '99 for density or sheer grip, but finishes with outstanding persistence.

Puligny Montrachet 1999 89

Cool aromas of peach, minerals and mint. Ripe, fresh and pure; pliant and round but with a very firm backbone. Finishes with subtle length. An excellent village wine.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 1999 91

Expressive, highly aromatic nose combines peach, pear, flowers and charred oak. Densely packed, juicy and intensely flavored; quite firm and spicy in the middle palate. Offers more finesse than the 2000 version. Finishes with noteworthy persistence and subtlety.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 1999 89

Peach blossom and fresh pear on the nose. Fat and layered, but less concentrated than the Champs-Canet. Quite open in the mouth, with a note of ripe pineapple. This is finer than the village wine but not as concentrated. A distinctly easy wine in the context of Carillon '99 crus.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 1999 91(+?)

Complex aromas of poire, minerals and clove. Juicy, firm and intensely flavored, with lively peach flavor nicely framed by firm acids. This has very good backbone and grip, and excellent persistence. A classic minerally '99, in need of a good five or six years of additional bottle aging.

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 1999 92(+?)

Deep, ripe aromas of peach, apricot, pineapple and charry oak. Dense and chewy in the mouth, with rich but firm flavors of minerals and nut oil. The deepest of these '99 premier crus. Perhaps less expressive today than the 2000 version, but more minerally and more classic. More a vin de terroir than a vin de cepage, in direct contrast to 99.99% of the chardonnays made outside Burgundy.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 1999 95

Superaromatic, multidimensional nose of exotic pineapple, vanilla and spice. Big, rich, generous and fat, with compelling vinosity. Really hits those hard-to-reach areas of the palate. Surely one of the most persistent wines of the vintage, and likely to be long-lived. But this grand cru will probably shut down soon, opines Carillon.

Sep/Oct 2000

The Carillons did not bottle their '98 crus until March of this year, and FranÁois Carillon believes that wines such as the domain Perrieres and Referts will need at least five years of bottle aging. "The gras of the vintage is currently blocking the acidity in the '98s," he noted, adding that he expects the wines to remain closed for a while due to the concentration that came from very low yields. The '98s, he adds, have fat but less of the mineral character for which Puligny-Montrachets are prized; they also finished with relatively low levels of residual sugar-typically 1.0 to 1.2 grams per liter, vs. 1.3 to 1.8 for the '99s. The estate's '99s are actually lower in acidity than the '98s, but also have slightly lower pHs. The result is wines with "more Bourgogne character, more finesse than the '98s." Carillon describes them as more floral and more approachable early than the '98s, but is confident they will age well.

Puligny Montrachet 1999 87-90

Component #1, from demi-muid: Fresh, floral aromas of lime blossom and spice. Brisk and quite dry, with penetrating, persistent citrus flavors. Component #2, from the Chassagne side of the appellation: Sappier, spicier, less floral aroma of minerals and nut oil. Minerally and chewy with extract; spicy and structured. Longer than the above, with lively acids.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 1999 89-92

Musky, complex aromas of lime blossom and white flowers. Fat, sweet and chewy, with harmonious acidity enlivening the wine flavors. Stylish and persistent, finishing with very good grip. This will be accessible early but should age well.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 1999 88-91

Riper but less precise aromas of flower blossom, peach and spicy oak. Spicy, opulent and easygoing; comes across as sweeter and less floral than the Champs-Canet. Also quite stylish and persistent.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 1999 90-93

Reticent, complex aromas of quince, minerals, flowers and spices. Less evolved in the mouth, with lime and nut oil flavors enlivened by racy acids. This shows serious backbone and grip for the vintage, even a hint of youthful austerity. Quite long and fine.

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 1999 91-93

Peach, white flowers, minerals and smoky oak on the nose. More minerally than the Perrieres, yet comes across as more expressive today. Lively flavors of citrus skin, stone and flowers. Dense with extract. This has terrific backbone and grip but is also compellingly ripe, in the style of the best '99s.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 1999 93-96

Reticent flinty, floral aromas, plus a note of spicy oak. Very concentrated and intensely flavored, with superb snappy acids framing the wine's rich fruit. Near-perfect balance of grape sugars and acids. Chewy mineral and pineapple flavors of outstanding depth and ripeness. Extremely long, lively back end.

Puligny Montrachet 1999 87

Fruit-driven aromas of peach and lemon. Fresh but rather closed today, with good citric cut and length. The premier crus probably need more time in bottle, says Carillon, but they're also more opulent today.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 1998 89

Peach blossom and smoke on the nose. Sweet, full and peachy, with firm, harmonious acidity and a strong spice character. A step up in volume from the village wine.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 1998 88

Sweet aromas of peach and hazelnut. Easygoing in the mouth, with bright lemony fruit and ripe acids. But a bit less minerally and rich than the Champs-Canet.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 1998 89(+?)

Less pure aromas of lime, lemon and stone, plus a slight lactic nuance. Then fairly dense, even fat, with firm minerality and juicy acidity clarifying the lemon and peach flavors. Rather closed today and not yet displaying much personality. But finishes with good length and mineral character.

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 1998 90

Subtle, pure aromas of peach and nectarine. Brisk and incisive in the mouth, with excellent acidity and firm minerality contributing to the impression of spine. Not fat but vibrant and long. The crop level here was just under 30 hectoliters per hectare, according to Carillon. An excellent '98.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 1998 92(+?)

Subtly complex floral/spicy nose, with a hint of bacon fat from the 50% new oak (one of two barrels). Thick, sappy and impressively concentrated, with a chewy texture and impressive persistence. Quite spicy through to the finish. Rather austere for the vintage, and in need of bottle aging.

Sept/Oct 1999

FranÁois Carillon believes the '97s will shut down within the next year and then will be best to drink three or four years down the road-but a bit later for the top crus. Grape sugars were typically between 12.5% and 13%, although the Referts reached 13.8%. Carillon describes his '98s as round and fat, perhaps midway between '95 and '92 in style, but with a bit less material than either of these previous vintages. Still, he adds, they are higher in acidity and slightly more concentrated than the '97s. A couple of the Carillons' sites were hit hard by frost in the spring of '98. At the beginning of the harvest, the fruit was a bit less ripe than that of 1997, but sugars mounted quickly, and the last fruit came in at around 13.6%.

Puligny Montrachet 1998 87-89

First sample, malo just finished: Reduced but complex nose combines orange juice, honeysuckle, smoke and spice. Fat and concentrated, with good backbone and subtle persistence. Still holding a lot of gas. Second sample, malo finished earlier: Steely, buttery nose hints at orange peel and clove. Sweeter and spicier; lovely ripe flavors and finesse. Perhaps less fat but more penetrating and structured than the above.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 1998 89-90

Complex aromas of smoke, brown butter, clove and roasted nuts. Fat, rich and spicy; this has an impressively chewy texture for the vintage. More mineral austerity here. Will this develop the length for outstanding?

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 1998 88-90

Lemon, lime, apple and toast. Silky and rich in the mouth, with noteworthy purity of flavor. Fruity and accessible. Seems richer than the '97 today.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 1998 89-92

Complex aromas of lemon butter, lemon oil, nuts and spices. Spicy, steely and rich, with ripe, harmonious acidity framing the tangerine and lightly mineral flavors. Still shows a slight hard edge from the SO2. But finishes with excellent length and very good grip.

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 1998 90-92

Ripe aromas of peach, smoke and spice. Dense and rich, with pungent soft citrus flavors supported by a sound mineral backbone. Comes across as drier and less fat than the Perrieres owing to its more apparent mineral component. Subtle, mounting finish.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 1998 91-93

Rather brut nose of smoky oak, bacon fat and pineapple. Fat and very ripe in the mouth; powerful, rich and densely packed, with pineapple and smoked meat flavors, but rather clenched today. Already shows impressive acidity and grip. Long, strong finish.

Puligny Montrachet 1997 88

Orange peel and peach aromas. Sweet, nicely concentrated fruit already provides enticing inner-mouth perfume. Spicy and firm. Finishes with very good persistence.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 1997 89

Peach, orange peel and an exotic hint of mango on the very ripe nose. Sweeter and fuller but less open, less easygoing than the above. Good structure and spicy persistence.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 1997 88

Good light color. Reticent aromas of orange and nut oil. Sweet and spicy, but less deep than the Champs-Canet. Just a hint of alcohol. Finishes with good length and minerality, but conveys less of an impression of personality than the last two samples.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 1997 90

Purer, more perfumed aromas of lemon cream and spiced pear. More solidly structured and firmly mineral; more intensely flavored than the Combettes. Ripe citric acidity gives shape to the flavors. Finishes with very good length, although some slightly aggressive acidity calls for a couple years of additional bottle aging.

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 1997 90+

Reticent aromas of tangerine and brown butter, plus a suggestion of exotic fruits. Pure, bright and very nicely delineated, but on the lean side today compared to the above wines. Good structure and grip, but quite unevolved and dominated by its mineral spine. Rather austere, even tough, for a '97, which is not at all a bad thing.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 1997 91+

Very closed but vibrant nose hints at lime, lemon liqueur and white flowers. The sweetest of these '97s and yet extremely closed today, thanks to its firm acids and pronounced minerality. Lovely inner-mouth florals contribute complexity, but here one '97 that really needs four or five years of cellaring. Dense but bright; firmly structured and very long.

Sep/Oct 1998

Carillon '96s have turned out brilliantly, eclipsing the very good '95s made at this address. "The '95s will be more opulent early on," Francois Carillon opines, "but they may become heavier with time in bottle." (This was a sentiment, by the way, that was shared by a few other growers I visited this spring, including Carillon neighbor Gerard Boudot.) The '96s, according to Carillon, are "less large" than the '95s, ripe yet "cool" wines with strong grapefruit and mineral character and with more fat, acidity and minerality than the '90s. But they are likely to close up and show their hard side for the next several years. Grape sugars reached 14% for the Bienvenue Batard Montrachet, but acids were in the bracing 4.5 to 5 grams per liter range. Carillon's '97s are somewhatsofter wines, with slightly lower grape sugars, but they are not at all wimpy. These wines may be bottled a month or two earlier than the '96s were. Carillon describes his '97s as less minerally versions of '95 and '92. I also found them to be fresher than his '94s.

Puligny Montrachet 1997 86-88

First cuvee: Musky aromas of pineapple oil, pear, fresh herbs and minerals. Glyceral-rich and oily in the mouth, with ripe pineapple flavor and sound balancing acidity. Could use a bit more finesse and length, though. Second cuvee, from fruit picked on the first day of the harvest: Resin and pineapple aromas. Fatter and more evolved than the above, though this technically has more acidity. A bit longer than the first sample. The blend should merit its rating.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 1997 87-89

Fruit-syrup aromas of peach and pineapple, plus a spicy hint of curry. Fat, rich, fruity and forward, but not at all wimpy. Has good acidity for the year. But a wine of moderate length.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 1997 86-88

Very ripe aromas of nut oil and banana; smells like a wine with low acidity. Very ripe, glyceral and soft; shows a bit of alcohol as well as a green note on the finish. Should develop quickly.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 1997 88-91

More subtle aromas of pineapple syrup and nut skin. Firmer and less syrupy in the mouth, with better acid structure and a rich nutty complexity. More persistent on the back end. I like this.

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 1997 89-92

Cooler aromas of mint, flowers, fruit salad and oak spice. Has good gras, in the style of the vintage, but also firm underlying acidity. A bit less forthcoming today than the Perrieres. Concentrated and persistent.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 1997 91-94

Very complex aromas of smoked meat, mint, pineapple and sexy oak. The sweetest and most intensely flavored of these '97s, with vibrant pineapple and mineral notes. This has very strong fruit, terrific structure and superb length for the vintage. The yield here was reportedly just 32 hectoliters per hectare, and it shows.

Puligny Montrachet 1996 89

Fresh orange, minerals and spices on the nose. Penetrating and bright; not fat but intensely flavored. Finishes quite brisk, with very good length.

Puligny Montrachet "Champ Canet" 1996 91

Bright, pure aromas of grapefruit and minerals. Silky, fruity and very aromatic in the mouth; a rather feminine style of Puligny, especially for the vintage. Quite tactile and showing well already. Very long on the finish.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 1996 89

Grapefruit, flowers and fresh herbs on the nose; less minerally and more fruity than the Champs-Canet. Supple and nicely balanced, but shows less richness and intensity than the above. This actually has less acidity than the Champs-Canet but there's also less buffering extract. Will be the first of these premier crus to reach maturity.

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 1996 94

Steely, minerally, lime-scented nose. A distinct step up in intensity: citric and penetrating but with superb fat and richness. Powerfully structured for aging. Finishes very strong and long, with a suggestion of mineral dust.

Puligny Montrachet "Referts" 1996 93(+?)

Pale, green-tinged color. Deep, smoky, very ripe aroma of mandarin orange, minerals, sweet butter and smoky oak. Tangy and sweet in the mouth, but extremely backward, even austere, today. Intense fruit and liquid stone flavors offer terrific thrust and grip. This hints at a thickness of texture, yet the structure currently hides the wine's superb richness. Palate-staining finish. May ultimately surpass the Perrieres.

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 1996 95(+?)

Very deep, rich aromas of pineapple, lemon cake icing and oak spice. The biggest, fullest and sweetest of these '96s, but almost painfully backward today. Explosive, clinging finish coats the mouth with minerals. Alas, only a tiny quantity of this juice makes it to America through the national importer.

Puligny Montrachet 2000 89

Lovely fruit jumps out of this glass. A Puligny that tastes almost like a blend of fine Chassange and Riesling, this crisp, clean, pure, vibrant, ripe and zesty white is a delight to drink, with layers of toasted oak, some honey, spice and pear tart character. Balanced finish. Drink now through 2007. 1,800 cases made. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 2000 95

Amazing seduction. Redolent of smoke, cut grass, even game, this is in a world to itself. The aromas are memorable. Incredible class, with ripe fruit, fresh acidity and wonderful balance. Needs time to deliver it all. Best from 2006 through 2015. 300 cases made. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet 1999 89

Nice balance among the thick texture, ripe fruit and oak. Offers some mineral, dried herb, honey and hazelnut character. Medium-bodied. Long, lovely and elegant finish. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 400 cases imported. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet "Les Champs Canet" 1999 95

Fantastic. Ripe and thick-textured, the flavors cut through this full-bodied whiteBurgundy like light piercing glass with mineral, lemon curd, pie tart, mineral and a subtle dosage of toasted oak. A remarkable effort for the '99 vintage. Has the rectitude to improve with age. 40 cases imported. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 1999 92

Some pretty aromas and flavors, with a touch of honey, spicy oak, dough and pear character. Medium-bodied. Rather concentrated flavors, which follow through nicely on the long, satisfying finish. 75 cases imported. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet "Les Combettes" 1999 88

Well-made Chardonnay. Medium- to full-bodied, with some distinctive dried herbs, fresh grass, pear and green apple. Most impressive is the rich, supple texture. Lots of smoky oak on the finish. 25 cases imported. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet 1998 90

Wonderful quality for a village wine. Creamy in texture and seductive, it's a full-bodied Chardonnay that offers focused mineral, vanilla bean, pear tart, lemon and some spicy character. Best from 2002 through 2008. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet "Les Champs Canet" 1998 90

Beautiful Puligny. Much vanilla bean, spice and ripe fruit are integrated in the superbly silky texture of this medium- to full-bodied white. Seductive, slightly toasted finish. Drink now through 2008. 125 cases made. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 1998 89

Fresh and vibrant, with dried herb, green olive and green apple character. Much citrus gives this medium-bodied white a zesty quality lacking in many '98s. Mouthpuckering finish. Drink now through 2003. 350 cases made. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet 1997 86

Subdued on the nose, medium-bodied and medium-intense, showing clean fruit, crisp citrus and hints of dried herb on the slightly tart finish. Drink now through 2000. 2,500 cases made. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet "Les Champs Canet" 1997 88

Good crispness in this medium-bodied, clean, pure and unyielding white, with lemony, succulent pineapple and green apple skin character. Don't expect a fat wine, just a sharp jolt that must be applauded in a '97. Drink now through 2001. 225 cases made. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 1997 93

A unique white that delivers rich, thick, concentrated fruit. Smooth, round and compacted, providing peach, pear and honey. Lovely. Drink now through 2005. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet 1996 88

Clean and pure, but with a grassy note, this full-bodied white is honeyed, ripe and elegant but a bit aggressive on the finish. Best from 2003 through 2008. 2,750 cases made. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet "Les Champs Canet" 1996 90

Rich and full-bodied, but also has an herbal, high-acidity backbone. A pure, clean wine that has a lot of potential for improving in the cellar, as it already hints at a velvety, creamlike texture. Best after 2005. 250 cases made. (PM)

Puligny Montrachet "Les Perrieres" 1996 95

As Burgundian as they come, with loads of personality. Earthy but also ripe, with pear, melon, honey, truffle, tropical flavors, this full-bodied wine has a lot going for it. Comes across as a bit rustic now, but has fresh, vibrant, nervous acidity that overwhelms the otherwise fat, opulent texture beneath. Given time, it should be just beautiful. Decanted for 18 hours, it didn't oxidize but gained marvelous silky texture. Best after 2008. 525 cases made. (PM)

Bienvenues Batard Montrachet 1996 98

Fabulous from start to finish, this is ultrasmooth and packed with brilliant, ripe fruit that's so concentrated it easily balances the toasted oak. Bright acidity combines to build the sort of luxuriant, silky, thick, seductive and flavorful white Burgundy the aficionados dream of. Best from 2006 through 2026. (PM)