Saturday, February 28, 2015

Grand Cru and Premier Crus of Puligny-Montrachet

I'm still entranced and entrenched in reading about the history and the geology of Puligny-Montrachet and of the Burgundy region in general. It is so interesting! At the end of Simon Loftus's book, Puligny-Montrachet Journal of a Village in Burgundy, Appendix 1 is all about the appellations in the region. I found a map that also color coded the Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards in Puligny:
The following is extracted from Appendix 1 of Simon Loftus's book and reflects the fact that it was published in 1992. An interesting commentary from 23 years ago.:
Vineyard Description
Grand Cru Vineyards

Montrachet Land:There are qualitative differences between the Chassagne half and the Puligny half of Montrachet. The Chassange end is lower down the hill and turns slightly but noticeably to the south and the row of vines are planted in a north-south axis so that the sun slants down the alleys for most of the day. The soil in the lowest part of Chassagne-Montrachet is marginally richer than in the Puligny side. The row orientation in the rest of the vineyard as it is in Puligny, are east-west, reflecting the fact that the land is tilted more to the east.
Wine: Wines from the lowest part of Chassagne-Montrachet may be slightly richer than the wines from Pugligny which is slightly more elegant.
Chevalier-Montrachet Land: Chevalier-Montrachet is entirely in Puligny and climbs up a hill above Montrachet. The slope of the hill is considerably steeper, and on the southern end consists of "murgers" or broken rocks. The soil is extremely poor and has a higher proportion of lime than you would find in Montrachet.
Wine: The wine tends to be lighter than from Montrachet, emphasizing finesse rather than power. Subtlety, elegance and seductive charm are the characteristics of a fine Chevalier that is delicious when young, but with sufficient underlying structure to benefit from at least a decade of bottle age.
Batard-Montrachet Land: The largest in size of the Grand Crus, half of the acreage lies in Chassagne. Batard-Montrachet lies across the street from Montrachet and several feet lower down the hill, descending in a very gentle slope towards the village. The soil is deep, rich, and has a high proportion of clay.
Wine: It is difficult to tell between the Chassagne and Puligny wines from Batard-Montrachet, the deep, rich soil gives amplitude and longevity to the wines.
Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet Land: Roughly rectangular block situated at the northeast corner of Batard at the lowest end of the vineyard. This location at the bottom end of the slope means that it has slightly less satisfactory exposure to sunlight and worse drainage.
Wine: Produces wines which tend to be slightly less long lived, but the style is very similar to that of it's neighbors.
Name Origin: The name means 'welcome' and has an ancient association with land farmed en métayage, by the tenants who undertook the labor of cultivation but shared the crop with their lord.
Premier Cru Vineyards

Le Cailleret Land: It is effectively a continuation of Montrachet to the north, but it's soil is very stony and it slips slightly lower down the hill. It catches less of the afternoon sun and is less well sheltered by the vineyards above. The appellation is surrounded by walls on three sides and helps to protect it from erosion.
Wine: Loftus says that the wines from Cailleret produced by Charton, the owners of Le Cailleret are well balanced and 'correct' but lacks excitement.
Name Origin: Comes from the stoniness of it's vineyards.
Les Pucelles Land: Lies immediately downhill from Le Cailleret and is to Le Cailleret what Batard is to Montrachet.
Wine: Produces wines which are fatter and immediate in their appeal. Les Pucelles matures fast but can be irresistible, seductively scented and softly textured.
Name Origin: Loftus claims that Les Pucelles does not translate into 'The Virgins' but is a little more prosaic. 'Poucelles' or 'Parcelles' means land which is much divided between its proprietors.
Les Folatières Land: The largest in acreage of the Premier Crus, it is a steep vineyard, much subject to erosion which washes away the soil.
Wine:
Name Origin: Comes from Folle-Terre means eroded soil.
Clavaillon Land: Lies immediately to the south of Les Folatières and is lower down the hill with richer, deeper soil.
Wine: Produces an elegant wine
Name Origin: Comes from a thirteenth-century seigneur of Puligny.
Champ Gain Land: The highest situated Premier Cru that lies above Les Folatières in Puligny and the most recently planted. The soil is meager and mingled with rocks.
Wine: Initial impression of ripe fruit giving way to a sappy astringency, but with good length of flavor.
Name Origin: Means meadow reclaimed.
La Truffière Land: One of the smallest and least known of the Premier Crus.
Wine: Most of the wine is blended with wine from other Premier Crus of the village.
Name Origin: Comes from fact that it was originally a place to hunt for truffles.
Les Chalumeaux Land: Lies north of the slope from La Truffière and abuts the boundary with Meursault and is bounded by old quarries and scrawny woods. The soil is an extremely porous mixture of gravel and limestone. It has the most eastern facing aspect than the other Premier Cru vineyards.
Wine: Relatively light wines that are quick to mature but have a considerable finesse.
Origin of it's name:The name implies tubes or spouts, perhaps suggesting the crannies in the rock in this area.
Champ Canet Land: There is a scant amount of soil here but more lime and the rock is deeply fissured, allowing roots to burrow deep to find water.
Wine: The wine can vary from relatively substantial examples to a typically lighter example.
Name Origin: Loftus mentions that he hasn't been able locate the origin of the name so he adheres to his illusion that this was once a meadow grazed by ducks.
Les Perrières Land: Exceedingly well balanced soil, rich but not too heavy, with plenty of pebbles, streaks of iron oxide marl and lime.
Wine: Used to be known for its red wines, the whites can be a little heavy but are long-lived and generous.
Name Origin: Recalls the quarries which were excavated just above the present vines.
Les Referts Land: Effectively a continuation of Les Perrières, with similar drainage and aspect, the soil may be a little heavier with a fair amount of clay.
Wine: The wine is rich but may be lacking in finesse.
Les Combettes Land: Lies above Les Referts and below Champ Canet, on the border with Meursault. The soil ranges from a high proportion of limestone at the top of the vineyard to a fair amount of clay at the bottom.
Wine: The wine is a combination of elegance with power and exhibits a refined splendor with nuttiness and "sweetness" of aroma. Les Combettes is the most generous of the Premier Crus of Puligny.
Name Origin: Refers to the crannies in the dense rock

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