2020 Montrachet Grand Cru

“It was an early harvest, from August 22,” winemaker Benoît Riffault explained when I visited the winery in Puligny. “Unlike 2019, I felt that it was necessary to pick earlier. It was an easy vintage with healthy grapes. The surprise was the quality of juice from the press. It is a fruity vintage that is easy to understand. The 2019 is more concentrated and dense, while 2020 has more drinkability and freshness. The alcohol is slightly lower than the 2019 but slightly higher for the Village Crus. We decided to pick early and finished after seven days in the Hautes-Côtes around September 4 or 5. The wines are very compact now.” This was an impressive showing from Sauzet, who in my opinion is making better wines than ever, much more consistent than just a decade ago. Although the Grand Crus are very fine, as a consumer, I would set my sights on the over-performing Premier Crus such as the Les Truffières and Les Referts.