“Puligny-Montrachet is where Burgundian Chardonnay is at its most complete,” writes Clive Coates MW. The tiny town, covering over less than one square mile, has made highly sought-after wine for nearly a thousand years. Today most consider it, as Coates puts it, “the greatest white wine commune on earth.”
What makes this tiny corner of Burgundy so special? On the ground, it’s a combination of soil content (limestone, clay, and other minerals), slope, and exposition. In the glass, Puligny is a white Burgundy with added structure, more tension, and a beautiful, angular elegance. Or as Jay McInerney puts it, Puligny is “the Grace Kelly of wines.”
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Winemaker Gérard Thomas owns a tiny sliver of land in Puligny-Montrachet — just over a hectare, or about half of a Manhattan city block. Thomas’s Puligny 1er cru has the richness and concentration of neighboring Meursault and Chassagne, but adds a sort of lively raciness only found in Puligny. This is brisk, energetic wine backed up by a rich and tension-filled core.
Master of Wine Jasper Morris enthusiastically describes 2014 white Burgundies as “fleshy” (an expression that’s far easier to pull off if you’re British). We know what he means, though: there’s something texturally pleasant about these wines, making them easier to enjoy young than other vintages. Thomas’s 2014 Puligny 1er cru is beautiful today, showing with hazelnut and lemon in the nose, and golden apple and almond in the mouth.
Serve this with a chicken roasted with rosemary and garlic; drink for another 3-5 years.
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THOMAS Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru 2014
Ansonia Retail: $56
quarter-case: $48/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 3- 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657
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