Etienne Sauzet Puligny Montrachet 1erCru Les Combettes 2011
- Vintage
- 2011
- Country
- France
- Region
- Burgundy,Cote de Beaune
- Size
- 750ml
- Rating
- BH94, WA93
- Grape
- Chardonnay
A notably elegant nose of ripe and pure white and yellow orchard fruit, lemon zest, pain grillé and a hint of spice marries into rich, generous and relatively full-bodied flavors that possess ample dry extract and excellent mid-palate concentration. There is a firm but ripe acid spine that shapes and supports the palate staining and perfumed finish. While not destined to be one of the genuinely great examples of Sauzet Combettes, this is still a stunner of a 1er. Drink:2019+ - BH92~94
Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru les Combettes 2011 from Sauzet has a very composed bouquet with the minerality shining through, exuding great tension and allowing the aromatics that speak of a place. The palate is well balanced with a crisp line of acidity. This is well structured with judiciously integrated oak, touches of spicy citrus fruit and great tension toward the finish that fans out beautifully. Excellent. Drink:2015~2030 - WA93
Etienne Sauzet is an estate based in Puligny-Montrachet, making some of the most sought-after Chardonnay wines in Burgundy.
Sauzet's wines are prized for their elegance at village level and for their extra weight and concentration at Premier and Grand Cru level. The portfolio includes leading examples of Chevalier-Montrachet, Le Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Champs Gain.
The domaine is made up of 15 hectares (37 ac) of estate vineyards split between the communes of Puligny-Montrachet, Cormot-le-Grand and Chassagne-Montrachet with small amounts of fruit externally sourced. The grapes are fermented in oak and aged in barrel for around a year – premier crus see up to 33-percent new oak, while grand crus get 40-percent. After barrel aging, the wines are racked into tanks for another six months on lees.
Etienne Sauzet was established at the forefront of Puligny-Montrachet production by Etienne Sauzet himself (1903-1975). His 12 hectare (30 ac) estate was taken over by his son-in-law Gérard Boudot, although in 1991 Boudot's cousin Jean-Marc Boillot took out his share of vineyards, requiring Boudot and his family to make additional acquisitions to bring the property back to its current size. - Information from Wine Searcher