As we head into the winter, the Burgundy classes take a turn for the serious. Our first Burgundy Insider of 2023 showcases a lineup we’ve been collecting for years - a comparative exploration of Puligny-Montrachet’s highly acclaimed wines. Shooting higher than we did for Meursault and deeper than for Chassagne, this masterclass will only feature Premier Cru wines, comparing the nine top crus with horizontals from single producers to highlight the vineyard characters which define them.

Much has been said of Puligny’s style, elegance and power, marrying driving minerality with floral finesse in the best examples. This is largely due to the reputation of its 1er Cru bloc, which runs all the way from the border with Meursault, right up to Montrachet, Bâtard- and Bienvenues themselves; arching above the village of Puligny and stretching right up to Blagny and Saint-Aubin. The finest sector is generally considered to be those which march along the hill from the Grands Crus, though much more interest is now paid to the upper slope sites like Champ Gain and La Truffière as the seasons get warmer.

Our focus will be on horizontals from the two Carillon domaines - François’ 2019s for Combettes, Folatières and Champ Gain; and Jacques’ 2020s for Referts, Perrières and Champs Canet. To complete the set of sites and producers which define the village, we bring in Domaine de Montille’s top Puligny - a smoky 2018 Cailleret whose vines directly neighbour Montrachet itself, Duc de Magenta’s long-standing monopole of Clos de la Garenne from 2017, and Morey-Coffinet’s highly rated Pucelles also from 2017. For the two most hallowed crus from opposite ends of the hill, we bring in the big guns as an additional comparison - Domaine Leflaive Pucelles 2017 and Domaine Sauzet Combettes 2019 - to see what the village’s most revered producers can achieve with these sites in the same vintages as their pairs.

Join resident Burgundy nut Stephen Wong MW for a dive into the delicious, polished and celebrated wines of Puligny-Montrachet on this special Burgundy Insider, Monday July 10th. Due to the kind of wines we wanted to include, it has unfortunately ended up costing quite a lot to run the class - we are very sorry about the ticket price. That said, in an effort to keep prices relatively reasonable (for the calibre of wines), we will only be able to offer hospitality discounts to the first two hospo seats, and cancellations will only be refunded up to 3 days prior.