2013 Puligny-Montrachet Village

Gérard Boudot describes 2014 as “a very homogeneous vintage that respected our terroirs. The wines will be rounder and more classic than the 2013s, which are more taut.” He went on: “The 2014s may be easier to drink early, especially the village wines, which are easy to understand.” Boudot harvested early in 2014, beginning on September 11, with grape sugars between 12.6% and 13%, and did “almost no chaptalization.” He also told me that he had done no lees stirring for the 2014s as of the end of May, and that he stirred the 2013s just once, after the malos ended in late spring. “We have less nitrogen in the bourbes today owing to our gentler presses, so the wine is less protected,” he explained.

Most of the 2014 malos were finished by February or March. The vintage, says Boudot, “is a good classic year, with good material and acid structure.” He generally produced 40 to 42 hectoliters per hectare, more than in the two previous vintages and similar to 2011. Boudot uses about 15% new oak for his village wines, 20% for his first few premier crus and 25% beginning with the Referts. The grand crus get 25% to 33% (but none for the Bienvenue-Batard-Montrachet), plus a lot of once-used barrels.

Boudot believes that the 2013s express themselves well with a double decanting a couple hours in advance. “This completely changes the wines,” he told me. He finds the ‘13s “very solid, almost rigid, and very stable in bottle. They have very good aging potential but that depends on the yields, which were very heterogeneous compared to 2014. There was strong mildew pressure at the flowering in 2013, and we lost a lot of crop.” Incidentally, Boudot recommends drinking his 2014s, 2012s and 2011s before his 2013s.

"The weather was lousy in 2013," said Gerard Boudot on the first morning of my white Burgundy tour at the end of May."There was plenty of mildew but we were not affected by hail."He began harvesting on September 29, picking over the next eight and a half days, with potential alcohol levels ranging from about 12% for the village wines to 12.8% for the crus (the Combettes and Champs-Canet were near 13%).Boudot reported that he had fairly consistent ripeness, and that he eliminated some rotten and underripe grapes at harvest-time.He told me he hasn't done any lees stirring "yet," except for one time in December, explaining that with organic farming batonnage has not been necessary in recent years as the fruit has better balance.He has also been using less and less new oak, experimenting with some 20- and 25-hectoliter foudres for some vinifications."I once bought 100 to 110 new barrels a year, but now I'm down to 40 for the same volume of wine," said Boudot.All of the wines noted below were still in barrel at the end of May.Boudot describes 2013 as "a fleshier version of 2011, with similar acidity and pH levels, and a very typical terroir year."He added:"I love the quick drinkability and salinity of the 2013s compared to the 2012s, which need a bit of time."