2016 Puligny-Montrachet 1. Cru Les Referts Domaine Jacques Carillon

(45+ year old vines). There is a whiff of the exotic to the petrol, white and yellow orchard fruit and citrus scented nose that is trimmed in a discreet application of wood. Interestingly, the palate impression is concentrated to the point of being almost luscious and while the volume is indeed impressive, there isn't quite the same vibrancy on the lingering finish where a hint of bitter lemon appears. While certainly very good, this is perhaps not quite at its normal outstanding level.

The 2016 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts reveals immense potential, wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp Anjou pear, lemon oil, iodine, white peach and a delicate framing of oak vanillin. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, with a deep, concentrated core, racy acids and a long, intensely mineral finish. Both more elegant and more intense than the Perrières this year, it's a classic Referts that will require 5 or 6 years of bottle age. I wish I had purchased it for my own cellar. 2023 - 2045.

(from a crop level of about 47 hectoliters per hectare): Pale, bright yellow. Ripe aromas of yellow peach, soft citrus fruits and spices. Rounder and riper than usual for this bottling, which is usually more taut in the early going, but without quite the concentration of Carillon's best 2016s. Aged in just 20% oak but one is aware of the wood element as there's only moderate buffering richness. Carillon believes that a rain shower in early September helped these grapes achieve maturity but may have resulted in a bit of dilution.