Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
"Les Champgains"

RegionCôte de Beaune
VillagePuligny-Montrachet
AppellationPuligny-Montrachet Premier Cru
Grape varietyChardonnay

The Vine

Average vine age 35 years
SoilLimestone and scree
Average yield40 hl/ha
HarvestHand picked

Wine tips

Cellaring Potential5-7 years
Serving temperature 12-14°

Description

Home to some of the world's most extraordinary Chardonnays including the famous Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet is the 216 hectare geographical middleman of the white wine villages, bordered by Meursault to the north and by Chassagne-Montrachet to the south. The vineyard of « Les Champgains » is situated just above « Folatières » and next to « Truffières ». It is right at the heart of the best Premiers Crus of Puligny-Montrachet. The vines grow high up on limestone and marl soil with an ideal south-easterly exposure, catching as much sunlight as the day-time permits.

Vinification & Ageing

Fermentation
Traditional in oak barrels with complete malolactic fermentation
Ageing
8 to 10 months ageing in oak barrels, 50% new
Barrels
Louis Latour cooperage, French oak, medium toasted

Wine tasting

Tasting Note
The 2003 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Champgains" is a wine with a lot of roundness and a balanced acidity. Almond and honey aromas perfectly mingle with melted vanilla flavours. The 2003 is a rich, pulpy and opulent wine and perfectly expresses the "terroir" of the Champgains. Aromas reminiscent of nuts are followed by a beautiful palate with creamy and buttery flavours. More nut flavours, especially hazelnuts, come to the forth of this lengthy wine. With a superb finish, it is a great wine that will evolve superbly for a few years.
Food Pairing
Poultry with chanterelle - foie gras - fish - shellfish - cheese

Press review

Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Champgains" 2007 - Wine Spectator Online - July 2010 - 89/100This ripe white offers peach and quince aromas and flavors, a round profile and bright acidity. Balanced, picking up honey and toast accents on the finish. Best from 2011 through 2021. 250 cases made. By Bruce Sanderson, USA.
Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Champgains" 2006 - Wine Spectator - Bruce Sanderson - July 10th, 2009 - 90/100Rich, with iodine and mineral notes complementing the peach and melon flavors. This is powerful and shows heft on the finish, where it's just a touch coarse now. Best from 2010 through 2017. By Bruce Sanderson (USA).
Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Champgains" 2006 - Burghound.com - July 2008 - 90/100A more elegant and refined if similar nose offers up notes of white flower, pear and green apple that give way to round yet nicely detailed flavors underpinned by a fine mineral streak and more obvious acidity that confers a firmer feel to the dry and linear finish. 2011+. By Allen Meadows (USA).
2003 Puligny-Montrachet “Champgains” - 2003's Wine Advocate Ratings - Issue 158 - 89 Points :Mouth-watering aromas remeniscent of buttered cornbread served in a roadside diner in tennessee can be found in the nose of this wine. Medium-bodied, lush, and fleshy, coming after the Hameau de Blagny in the tasting, it perfectly portrays the huge impact terroirs had in this vintage (Champsgain has deeper, clay soils, the Blagny a cooler stone-dominated soil). Satin-textured and friendly, this plush effort coats the taster’s palate with creamed hazelnut flavours that linger in it’s impressive finish. Drink it over the next 4 – 5 years.