2010 Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain 1er Cru

I have to admit I was a bit perplexed by these 2010s from Sauzet. A number of wines were massively reduced and/or heavily sulfured to a degree I did not encounter at any other property I visited. The best selections in the lineup are quite strong, which suggests some of those elements may dissipate over time as the wines integrate, but at the same time, I can only report what is in the glass, and the reality is that some of the wines in this lineup are very awkward at this stage. I suggest readers taste the Sauzet 2010s before making any major commitments. The 2010 harvest started on September 17th. Yields were closer to normal in the village wines, but down by as much as 35% in the premier and grand crus. The wines spent 12 months in oak, 25-35% new for the premier crus, and 35% new for the grand crus, followed by six months in tank.

According to Gerard Boudot, the 2010s are similar to the 2008s in their "good fruit, natural alcoholic degrees and minerality." Yields were very low on the hillsides (just under 30 hectoliters per hectare, on average, for the premier crus), but close to normal on the tops of the hills (about 45 h/h for the grand crus) due to the later flowering under better weather conditions. The grapes were small due to widespread millerandage, and the levels of dry extract are solid, added Boudot, who did not expect to bottle his crus until next March. Boudot has cut way back on lees stirring in recent years; for the 2010s, he did just three batonnages prior to the malolactic fermentations and then stopped. The 2009s here are also quite strong in the context of the vintage. "Early harvesting was the secret to success in '09," said Boudot, "and it was necessary to limit the size of the crop. After that, the wines were very easy to vinify." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)