2010 Puligny Montrachet Champs Gains

Real vivacity on the nose. Relatively expensive but it does deliver excitement and tension without meanness. Lipsmacking. (JR)

Sauzet’s 2010 Puligny-Montrachet Champs Gains comes across as tight, angular and compact. The Champ Gains never seems to come together in the glass, as the lasting impression is one of austerity, even within the context of the year. Today the Champs Gains is very tight and closed in on itself. If the fruit emerges it might merit a higher score. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. ||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. eRobertParker.com.August, 2012