Top white Burgundy is the zenith for the Chardonnay grape, bringing together the purest fruit intensity with mineral texture and impressive ageability. And Puligny-Montrachet might be the greatest of them all.
Wine Cellar is delighted to bring you two Puligny-Montrachets from Burgundy’s most revered names, Joseph Drouhin and Olivier Leflaive. Both families have been working the vines in Burgundy since the late 1800s and continue to produce highly regarded and age-worthy wines.
‘For most critics, Puligny-Montrachet stands highest on the white burgundy podium’
– Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy 2nd Edition
Puligny-Montrachet 2021
R 1,795
Puligny-Montrachet 2020
R 1,795
Burgundy’s 2020 vintage is renowned for its incredibly bright, concentrated wines. ‘How can a vintage so extreme produce wines that are so vibrant and fresh?’ asks William Kelley of the Wine Advocate. This is exactly what one finds with the Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 2020. A blend from 25 plots, it’s lively and seductive. On the nose this Chardonnay shows jasmine, white grapefruit and apricot with a creamy and silky palate, mineral acidity and a lengthy finish.
2021 was a challenging vintage for the vignerons, with crops severely down. ‘Given everything thrown at vineyards and winemakers in 2021, how come so many of the wines are blooming deliciously?’ asks Neal Martin. Joseph Drouhin’s Puligny-Montrachet 2021 is yet another example of the understated and elegant style one can expect from this producer. Dense but finely tuned, with florals, Granny Smith apple and mineral reduction, it has ‘the Drouhin trademark of subtlety without leanness’ (Jancis Robinson).
Whilst Burgundy’s prices continue to rise, Wine Cellar is proud to offer both of these wines at R1,795 per bottle – well below the open market price.
Is Burgundy still a source of magic? ‘It is for me!’ writes Jasper Morris MW in his second edition of Inside Burgundy. ‘The anticipation is exciting in itself, the delivery a treat that we may only just deserve. Burgundy is doing this really well at the moment.’
Tasting Notes:
Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 2020
‘Attractive nose of ripe apricots, jasmine, hazelnuts, white grapefruit and some smoky touches. Creamy, ripe and fleshy, with a full body. Excellent concentration. Drink or hold.’ – James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, 93/100
‘A blend from 25 different plots. Clear pale yellow. Fine fruit on the nose if less floral, builds beautifully on the palate, supported by a fine thread of mineral acidity. Lovely aftertaste.’ – Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy, 90-92/100
Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet 2021
‘A glowing pale lemon yellow. Drouhin’s 2021 Puligny-Montrachet displays really rather a classy bouquet. Plenty of energy on the palate, the acidity is well integrated and the persistence is quite impressive. In fact, really good.’ – Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy, 92/100
