PULIGNY MONT SAUZET LES CHAMPS GAIN 2023 750ML

The 2022 Puligny-Montrachet Champs Gain 1er Cru has a well-defined and expressive bouquet with Granny Smith apple, citrus peel and petrichor scents. The palate is taut, with a touch of lemon and orange rind on the entry. It has very good concentration and pleasing texture with excellent weight and composure towards its lightly spiced finish. Excellent. 92-94

The 2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ Gain opens in the glass with gently reductive aromas of crisp peach and pear mingled with freshly baked bread and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless, with a fleshy core of fruit, bright acids and a long, saline finish, it's a concentrated, elegant wine that derives from one of the domaine's historic parcels. Benoît Riffault is pleased with his 2022s, and with reason, as it numbers among his finest vintages to date. His harvest dates were more or less the same as in 2020, which is to say, relatively speaking, a little earlier, and that translates to impeccable balance across the board. But what are the rudiments of winemaking at this address today? Hand-harvested fruit is pressed without crushing, the press cycle lasting around three and a half hours and performing "quite a few," which is to say more than 20, rotations. The must is sulfited at the end of the press and settled for 24 hours, but Riffault retains most of the lees, fermenting in wood with ambient yeasts. Larger formats, including foudres, now complement 228-liter Burgundian barrels. The wines are racked to tank in July-August before the new vintage, whereas the premiers and grands crus spend as much as six months on their lees before bottling. All of Sauzet's wines are bottled with high-quality unbleached and unwaxed natural cork. 91-93

Bright lemon and lime colour, with a toasty nose. This does not distract from the quality of the fruit. Medium plus intensity on the palate, still with the touch of toast alongside some lime blossom, and good length. Drink from 2027-2034. 90-93

Smoky reduction and wood toast nuances overshadow the fruit today. The rich, generous, even opulent, palate staining flavors possess a seductive mouthfeel yet there is outstanding vibrancy to the powerful larger-scaled flavors that deliver fine length on the bitter zest-inflected finish where a touch of warmth slowly emerges. This isn't as refined as the best in the range but it's still quite good. 91-93