2012 Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain 1er Cru

Francois Carillon, who looks for "power and elegance," told me that the young 2013s remind him of the 1990s in their precision."But the '13s are a bit more elegant and have less material," he added.Carillon only stirs the lees after the vinification when the wines are full of gas, but not after the malolactic fermentations, which were finished by the end of 2013.He harvested between September 26 and October 4, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol between 13% and 13.5% and not chaptalizing his white wines.He believes that the '13s will be better agers than the 2012s, which he described as "more flattering wines to drink early."

Carillon had opened the doors of his cellar to help the malos of his 2012s finish, particularly the very late Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts.Carillon particularly likes the fat and generosity of the 2012s, as well as their class.Crop levels were down dramatically in certain sites owing to hail, and Carillon told me he cut back on lees-stirring because he did not want to get a vegetal character in his wines.Carillon noted that he has generally higher vines with more vegetation than his brother Jacques has, and that he makes less austere wines--"wines more for pleasure, to share with friends."He told me he had generally less damage from hail and was not burned by heat spikes as he keeps a wider "vegetation zone" on his vines and got good sugar levels in his grapes.