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P&L Borgeot, Puligny-Montrachet “Les Grands Champs”

Burgundy, France 2017 (750mL)
$65.00
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P&L Borgeot, Puligny-Montrachet “Les Grands Champs”

When assembling the jigsaw puzzle of great Burgundy vineyards, the cru “Les Grands Champs” in Puligny-Montrachet one of those pieces without any outward markers to help you—which makes it extra satisfying when you find it and plop it into place. Located within eyeshot of the assorted “Montrachet” Grand Crus and immediately downslope from the acclaimed “Clavoillon” Premier Cru (of Domaine Leflaive fame), Les Grands Champs is one of those ‘next-door’ vineyards we love so much around here.


Looking at this label you see that someone thought enough of the vineyard to give it a lieu-dit (“named place”), but otherwise there’s no ranking attached to give a sense of its greatness. But then you look at a map—or, even better, walk the vineyards yourself—and you taste a well-priced example like today’s 2017 from Domaine Borgeot, and it’s like you just discovered fire. This wine is elite Burgundy Chardonnay in every way except price, displaying high-toned aromatics typical of the vintage but also a layered texture and balanced acidity that bodes well for long-term aging. At a minimum, this performs at a Premier Cru level and is classic Puligny through and through—a sleek, shimmering, live-wire expression of Burgundy Chardonnay that’s poised to get better and better. If you’re looking for some white Burgundy to age, don’t pass this up.


Following the extremely low-yielding 2016 vintage (in which spring frosts sharply reduced crop sizes), 2017 was the first year in a while in which the harvest was both abundant and of high quality. Not only was that good news for producers, it’s great news for us—especially if ’17s like Borgeot’s keep rolling in. Today’s Les Grands Champs is open and drinking beautifully right now, but it is still young and will truly blossom with a bit more time (especially with 3-5 years of cellaring), it reveals/will reveal layers of citrusy fruit and deep minerality. Another distinguishing feature is how classically ‘Puligny’ it is—crystalline, high-toned, and focused.



Domaine Borgeot was originally established in 1903 in the village of Rémigny, near Santenay, and is now run by fourth-generation brothers Laurent and Pascal Borgeot. They farm 23 hectares of vineyards spread across several appellations, including not just Puligny-Montrachet but Chassagne-Montrachet, Bouzeron, and Santenay. Although they make every effort to follow organic practices in their farming, they describe their approach—as so many do in Burgundy—as lutte raisonnée (reasoned fight), in which organic methods are followed except in the most extreme circumstances. 



Today’s 2017 from their small piece of Les Grands Champs is absolutely brimming with energy and high-toned aromatics, with a very subdued oak component even in its youth (it was aged 11 months in a mix of new/used barrels and stainless steel tanks). In the glass, it is a glimmering straw gold with flashes of green, with perfumed aromas of salted Meyer lemon, tangerine, lime blossom, yellow apple, raw hazelnut, wet stones, white flowers, and a hint of fresh cream. I would characterize it as medium-plus in body; right now, it is tightly wound out of the bottle but loosens up with some time to come up to cellar temperature in a decanter. This is truly aristocratic Puligny-Montrachet, as lithe and powerful as a Kentucky Derby racehorse. If you can keep your hands off a few bottles they will reward you handsomely in a few years, with peak performance likely coming around 2025. There are myriad possibilities where the food pairing is concerned, but in general I’d stay in the seafood category. Ask your fishmonger if there are any “collars” on offer—the fattier cut from behind the gills—and let this electric white work its magic!
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Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Sub-Region
FrancePuligny-Montrachet
Soil
Limestone & Clay
Farming
Lutte Raisonnée
Blend
Chardonnay
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
new & used French
TEMP.
50
Glassware
All-Purpose Whites
Drinking
Now-2030
Decanting
30-60 Minutes
Pairing
Fish Collar

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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