The historic heart of this domaine comprises premier cru vineyards on Puligny’s northern border (Champ Canet, Combettes, Referts, Perrières) whose richly-textured wines already hint at the opulent style of contiguous Meursault. Since 1991, when one third of the vineyard land was lost through inheritance, it has been winery policy to buy in additional grapes to cover appellation shortfalls, add these purchases to the estate’s own harvest, and vinify both origins jointly. This somewhat complicated process does allow winemaker Gérard Boudot to retain full technical control (including overseeing many of the farming and harvesting arrangements to do with the purchased grapes) although of course the term `domaine-bottled` may no longer be used. The upside is that Boudot has been able to extend his winemaking expertise to new appellations, adding a brightly mineral La Garenne, and hugely stylish Folatières, as well as boosting the grand cru count from the original two (Bâtard and Bienvenue-Bâtard) to four (purchases of Chevalier and Le Montrachet). The wines combine delicacy, vivid aromas and voluptuous textures and generally peak (earlier than Meursault or Chassagne) at five to six years old.
If you would like to know more please visit www.etienne-sauzet.com.
