Remoissenet Père & Fils, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru, “La Garenne”
Rock-strewn and windswept, La Garenne resembles a quarry, and the Chardonnays that spring from it are some of the most archetypal Puligny-Montrachet wines of all: crystalline, balletic, mesmerizing. Leave it to Remoissenet to get in on this action: This historic négociant house has become one of the most dynamic players in Burgundy, pouring resources and talent into viticulture throughout the region. Working closely with a partner-grower in La Garenne that farms the parcel according to organic and biodynamic principles, Remoissenet extracted a micro-batch of today’s 2017 from the pebbly limestone of this coveted Premier Cru. They shared a tiny amount with us, but only enough to offer four bottles per customer today: When the occasion calls for Burgundy’s crème de la crème, this is a bottle to pull!
There’s no doubt you’re in the presence of something serious when you put your nose in the glass, and considering the level at which this wine performs, I’d characterize the price as a steal. This is everything you could ask for in elite Puligny-Montrachet—and exactly the kind of racy, laser-focused Chardonnay one would expect from this high-altitude site. In the glass, it’s a glistening yellow-gold moving to green highlights at the rim, with a perfumed nose of white peach, green and yellow apple, lemon blossom, cheese rind, yogurt, chopped almonds, white flowers, and rain-soaked stones. Medium-plus in body, with good fruit concentration on the mid-palate that will deepen with time, this absolutely pulses with the kind of energy and tension Puligny-Montrachet is famous for. It’s an archetype that will reward cellaring over the next 10-15 years and will thrill now as well given about 45 minutes in a decanter first.