PULIGNY-MONTRACHET
JEAN CHARTRON
I started tasting with Anne-Laure Chartron, then Jean-Michel, who was initially tied up with a tractor issue, joined us later. Anne-Laure manages the vineyards and tells me that in 2023 Chartron’s yields were normal. In 2022 she did “a very strict pruning after 2021, to protect the plants. So, in 2023 we didn’t have a high yield. I work in three-year cycles.” Where possible, she is changing the pruning to poussard—in Caillerets, for example—but says it’s difficult as the vines are old. “When I replant, I use poussard now, for later budding and for the sap of the plant.”
Anne-Laure says that in 2023 the conditions were “Not far from 2022, except that at harvest the temperature was higher. We had more rain than in 2022, once or twice a week, but it became very hot. Perfect and very healthy fruit.” They harvested from September 1, for the Crémant, then from September 3 for the still wines—Caillerets and the grands crus first—finishing in the Hautes-Côtes on the 10th.
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Because of the heat during the harvest, Jean-Michel’s team of 40 pickers started at 6.30am and finished by 1.30pm. There is no refrigeration room, but Jean-Michel is managing the hot harvests in other ways. Even if the parcel is large, he says he can control the temperature of the fruit. “We will change the trailer once every hour—so we minimize oxidation. After pressing, we cool the must to 10–12ºC [50–54 ºF], so we don’t lose the aroma and it’s easier to settle just overnight.”
“In 2023, the fruit was healthy. We stopped spraying on June 23, so the lees were good and we kept a good amount of them.” But equally, he says the juice is quite clear when he moves it from tanks, after settling, into barrels, at 12ºC. Jean-Michel inoculates if the fermentation doesn’t start within three days.
He said, “We are very happy with 2023. There will be better homogeneity in white than in red, as the yields were higher for the Pinot Noir.”
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The three négoce wines were introduced to provide some mid-range options. I find the Pernard-Vergelesses a cut above the others.
Commenting on the vineyards, Anne-Laure Chartron said: “2023 is like 2005 or 2008 because of the maturity and easy accessibility of these wines. In 2023 we had water, so we have a good balance between the acidity and the fruit.”
Jean-Michel concluded on the style of the 2023s: “Quite charming, like the 2022ss. Like the 2017s, but a bit fresher.”
Bourgogne Vieilles Vignes
This cuvée is also labeled with name of their grandmother for certain markets. From the Puligny area. A juicy, ripe, but straight, citrus palate, with a sweet slice of acidity through it. It’s a good Bourgogne, nicely concentrated. 2025–27. 83
Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Vieilles Vignes
From En Bois Guillemain on the north side of Nantoux, and Sous La Roche on the west. They are leased vineyards, although Jean-Michel hopes to have the possibility to buy these soon. Lime-citrus and white-flower aroma. Straight and fizzling palate. Vibrant, white, pithy fruit. It’s edgy and attractively bitter. 2025–29. 85
Rully Montmorin
Yellow-peach aroma and slightly tropical on the palate. Rounded and spicy, with just enough acidity to balance. 2025–28. 85
Santenay
A négoce wine. White-pear aroma. A rounded, juicy palate, with plenty of freshness and an undertow of earthy minerality. 2025–29. 85
Pernand-Vergelesses
A négoce wine. aStraight, neatly compact. Good density for a village wine. Savory. Dark, smoky notes. The best of the négoce wines. 2025–30. 86
Savigny-lès-Beaune
A négoce wine, with an appealing blend of oak and ripe fruit on the nose. A fullish, relaxed, and juicy wine; forward, fruity, and splashing. Easy-going. 2025–28. 85
St-Aubin Premier Cru Héritage Cistercien
It was necessary to remove Sur le Sentier du Clous in 2021 because of virus. Anne-Laure wanted to provide an alternative to her customers, so this is a blend of Murgers des Dents de Chien with some bought-in fruit from St-Aubin. This certainly has a feel of the Murgers about it. Straight. Salty. Nicely energetic and it has a light and saline finish. 2026–30. 87
St-Aubin Premier Cru Les Murgers des Dents de Chien
“My favorite, but I cannot explain why, but for the energy and the connection I have had with this place since I was a teenager,” says Anne-Laure, who has built a stone gate at the entrance to the parcel. It’s racy and bright, despite the 13.5% ABV. High-wired wine, which dashes across the palate. Carries a salty stream in its wake. An excellent example and such an attractive wine. 2026–33. 89
St-Aubin Premier Cru Les Perrières
Richer and riper, with golden, peachy fruit and a rounded palate. Here the 13.5% ABV feels a little heavy. 2026–30. 85–86
Chassagne-Montrachet
Largely from the lieu-dit in Morgeot called Les Benoîtes, although since the 2016 vintage, it has included fruit from young vines in Caillerets planted in 2018. “If you buy a premier cru, you want a wine with premier cru structure.” So, it was quite right to use it to pump up a village wine. A broad and generous palate. Packed-full of spicy, greengage fruit, and the finish is also quite aromatic. 2026–32. 88
Puligny-Montrachet
“We have a new parcel in the village that had been farmed by the School of Viticulture in Beaune, but the mayor of Puligny took the parcel back and offered parcels to producers in the village to work for five years.” Chartron got Rue de Vache, so this is now a blend of five parcels around the village and produces a 3,000-bottle cuvée. A lightly glossy palate, neatly underscored with silky minerals. There are citrus fruits in abundance and a lively finish. 2026–32. 88–89
Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos du Cailleret
From a parcel of 0.99ha (2.44 acres). Attacks with a broad and savory punch. Density and layering. Cold and warm wine. Rich fruit and stony notes. Marked sapidity on the punchy finish. Powerful. 2028–40. 95–96
Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Pucelle (Monopole)
From a parcel of 1.02ha (2.5 acres). Mostly picked at the beginning of harvest. Only in 2017, on the wall side, did it ripen earlier and was picked separately. Some of the vines are 60- to 70-years old. Bought in 1917 and replanted in 1948. Some replanting since, of course, with clones and, more recently, with massal selection. A silky aroma, with a hint of mandarin. Succulent attack, before it becomes super-streamlined. Precise edges, crispy, focused, and intense. A lively thread of minerals on the persistent finish. Such vibration for a warm vintage. 2027–40. 95
Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Folatières
Punchy and intense. “We will have to rip out some of the vines now, because of court noué.” Gutsy and juicy, but I would like to see a bit more intensity mid-palate. On the finish, the racy minerality is attractive. 2027–35. 91–92
Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Rich citrus combines with stony intensity on the nose. Reserved, cold, and compact on the palate, tightly layered. It shivers. Cold chalkiness layered with warm stone. The finish is super-persistent and intense. Very precise. It stood out among the 2023 grands crus. 2028–48. 97
Montrachet Grand Cru
Super-focused and reserved. The depth, density, and concentration is countered with almost a severity of minerality. The finish is extremely long. Power and reserve. 2028–38. 97–98
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
From a south-facing parcel. Rich aroma and a sumptuous attack. Glossy, full, and rounded, but on the finish, it becomes really rather racy. 2028–38. 93
Red
Bourgogne Vieilles Vignes Pinot Noir
From vines around Puligny. Juicy and bright, with a lively, fresh note. Breezy. Crunchy. 2025–27. 82
Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Sous La Roche
From Nantoux, where there is a large parcel of Pinot Noir that they lease. The ripeness and texture of tannin is impressive, very silky and rich. Silky tannins and a fresh abundance of ripe, red-cherry fruit. Lovely phenolic ripeness. Very juicy and ripe. Spot-on! 2025–28. 85
Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos du Cailleret
One barrel. Spicy aroma, with notes of cumin, probably from the oak, although the palate is also spicy. Soft tannins, quite creamy in the middle. Very ripe and exotic. Exotic but with sapidity to finish. 2027–30. 89
ST-AUBIN
DOMAINE MARC COLIN ET FILS
Damien Colin had to cancel my appointment because of a funeral, but left me some nine samples at my gîte. He has a huge range, so it was a shame not to taste everything, but there are upsides. In such situations, it’s quite interesting to taste blind. In the thick fog that enshrouded Auxey-Duresses that Sunday, I was happy to have the wines left at my door. Winter was closing in. Looking back to sunnier days, Damien harvested September 1–6. He whole-bunch-pressed the whites and took all the lees. They will not be bottled until March 2025. He commented, “I think this is one of the best vintages at the domaine, with a perfect harvest date, so there is incredible balance in the wines.”
St-Aubin
From Fontenotte, Choilles, and Vermarain. White peach and quite spicy, the fruit is balanced, with juicy, citrus freshness. Pleasing. Late-2025–28. 85
St-Aubin Premier Cru Clos de la Chatenière
Adjacent to En Montceau, but broader in the beam and riper, and less concentrated, than the En Montceau, and certainly more tropical in its fruit, with notes of guava. Just nicely balanced acidity. A light, salty finish, but not quite so long as the Montceau and Remilly. 2026–30. 88
St-Aubin Premier Cru En Montceau
From Gamay, beside Chatenière, 1.2ha (3 acres), of which the domaine has 1ha (2.47 acres). I like the fact that this is tight, straight, and citrus in a warm vintage. Grapefruit freshness and lemon zestiness. This climat turns a little to the north, so can be a bit austere in cold vintages, but works really well in 2023, when it has lovely depth of concentration but retains a lively character; lots of tension and a terse bitterness and length. Maybe the best St-Aubin I tasted this vintage. 2026–32. 91
St-Aubin Premier Cru En Remilly
Sweetly rich first impression, then it develops across the palate. Reminiscent of sugared lemon, candied lemon skin, lightly sprinkled with salt, for it combines ripe fruit, citrus notes, and saltiness on the finish. Straight, really quite rich, but neat and contained. Quite a level up on the Chatenière for complexity and length, but tasting them blind, the En Montceau was maybe a touch longer. 2026–35. 90
Chassagne-Montrachet Margot
This is a classic Chassagne made from several parcels on the north side of the village at the bottom—Encégnières, Les Pierres, Perclos—and is named after Damien’s grandmother. Rich and creamy, full and rounded, generally very inviting and well-balanced, and it stood the test of time in the sample bottle. Not bad at all. 2026–30. 88
Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Caillerets
Very oaky… and somehow it seemed to get more oak when I retasted it. Rich, expressive, and warm, full-bodied, but there is tension, intensity, and power. Punches through on a firm and sapid finish. Hot and cold wine. I like the finish. Persistent and with a slight shiver, but it didn’t hang on quite as well as I’d hoped, so I brought it down a notch in the score. 2027–35. 94
Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Champs-Gains
Juicy and ripe and really rather gregarious. It is rich yet fresh and energetic. I watched this sample… and it got better and had more to offer after a reticent starting point. 2027–35. 94
Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Vides Bourses
Punchy, rich, oaky aroma, to a full and savory palate. I tasted this sample a couple of times, and it moved from being generous, to being a bit lacking. To begin with, it was really showy, opulent, and sapid, but it faded, while the Champs-Gains held on and got better… so the scores reversed. 2027–34. 93
2023 Burgundy: Abundant variability
2023 Burgundy: A guide to the villages and vineyards
2023 Burgundy: Chablis with a sunny disposition
2023 Burgundy: Chablis tasting notes
2023 Burgundy tasting notes: Côte de Nuits—Marsannay and Fixin
2023 Burgundy tasting notes: Côte de Nuits—Gevrey-Chambertin
2023 Burgundy tasting notes: Côte de Nuits—Morey-St-Denis
2023 Burgundy tasting notes: Côte de Nuits—Nuits-St-Georges
2023 Burgundy tasting notes: Côte de Beaune—Beaune
2023 Burgundy tasting notes: Côte de Beaune—Pommard
2023 Burgundy tasting notes: Côte de Beaune—Volnay
2023 Burgundy tasting notes: Côte de Beaune—Meursault
