Etienne Sauzet

Etienne Sauzet’s son-in-law, Gérard Boudot, makes the wine at this benchmark Burgundian Domaine and has been more recently assisted by talented winemaker Benoit Riffault, Gerard's son-in-law. A tasting with Gérard and Benoit is not just enjoyable but highly educational – each session is a virtual masterclass in terroir. Indeed, their knowledge of Puligny’s different vineyards is second to none. They resist the temptation to interfere with the wines too much after fermentation, and employs on average 30% new oak every year. The Grand Crus are, of course, impressive; even right down to Villages and Bourgogne level the wines display the finesse and grace of truly great Puligny.

**2017 Vintage **

Sauzet picked early (on the 28th August,) winemaker Benoit Riffault explaining “health-wise there was no problem with the grapes but potential alcohol increased quickly so we wanted to pick early to maintain balance. There is a lot of dry extract in these, they are textured. For me the vintage is a blend of 2009, 2010, 2014 for, respectively, its yellow fruit, density and freshness. Intense and very concentrated wines that each display their own distinct terroir characteristics as usual with perhaps an extra padding and gloss to previous vintages.

**2018 Vintage **

“Un bon classique” is how winemaker Benoit Riffault summarises 2018 adding he finds them “elegant and balanced.” Classic might seem a strange term to be attached to a sunny warm vintage but taste the wines and he is spot on. Benoit feels the wines are not like other early or warm vintages, for although the acids technically weren’t that high the profile of the fruit is fresh and clear with no shortage of minerality, too. The 2018's have more body and less steel than 2014 or 2017, for example, but they are no slouches either. Natural alcohol degrees were between 12.8 to 13.2 and the fruit profiles are on the citrus, white and yellow fruit side of the spectrum rather than anything too honeyed or exotic. This, Benoit feels, was thanks to a surprisingly good crop that counteracted the hot summer. Surprising because there weren't any more bunches than usual, but the grapes yielded a lot more juice than expected. What is particularly pleasing to see in this range is how the vintage has not suffocated the characteristics of each wine or vineyard. Folatières, Perrières and Chevalier are as mineral and focused as ever, Champs Canet and Combettes are typically plumptious, while Truffière has retained its beauty and elegance. An impressive line-up, the wines have body and verve, sitting comfortably just on the riper side of 2017.

2019 Vintage

A vintage Benoit Riffault terms “exceptional”, citing the wines’ “density and consistency with no heaviness. They have a saline power that comes from high levels of dry extract.” We can’t argue, for there were some utterly ravishing wines in the Sauzet line-up this year, continuing their rich vein of form. Yields were small thanks to a combination of bad flowering and grapes that had thick skins and little juice. Picking began on 9th September. As ever the picking date was key. The right moment being “when I like the taste of the grapes and when the berries detach easily from the stalks” Benoit was keen to point out. In terms of winemaking, Benoit decided to keep as much of the lees as possible this year, to keep the wines as fresh as possible. Otherwise very little has changed here. Élevage continues to include little new oak, ranging from 10–15% for the Bourgogne and Villages, rising to a maximum of 35% for the Grands Crus. A wonderful set of wines that includes some of the greatest whites of the vintage. They absolutely prove that you can pick ripe and still have freshness.

2020 Vintage

Harvest began on the 22nd August and lasted seven days. Benoit Riffaut considers picking early “key” to the vintage and goes on to compare 2020 to some of the great white vintages. “The 20s are not as rigid and acid as 2014, they have a similar aromatic profile to 2017 but aren’t as unctuous, they show less density and more poise and balance.” Elevage continues to include little new oak, ranging from 10–15% for the Bourgogne and Villages, rising to a maximum of 35% for the Grands Crus. With ageing in tank for all but the Grands Crus for the last six months of elevage. A brilliant range that demonstrates “Sauzet” flair beautifully, whilst allowing clear vineyard differences to shine through. This is one of the finest, most balanced vintages the Domaine has ever produced.

2021 Vintage

“This vintage is electric!” beamed Benoit Riffault in November, flashing us a mega-watt smile. And he’s not wrong. We were absolutely thrilled by the quality on display chez Sauzet in ‘21. If only there were more of them to go around! As elsewhere, the biggest losses were in the better sites, those that bud earlier. Harvest started on the 22nd of September and lasted for one week. Benoit commented that the combination of small yields and a cool summer has led to an intensity and freshness like little else he’s seen. “They don’t have the edgy acidity of the 2010s and the 2014 were more citrus driven. Some have mentioned the 1979s but that was before my time!” Across the range we found excellent precision, driving intensity, fresh cool flavours suffused with minerality and a genuine sense of place in each cuvée. The freshness, as alluded to above, seems inbuilt; the wines fizz with electric energy without seemingly being overly acid driven. A great range of wines.

2022 Vintage

The impressive new tasting room at Sauzet has the perfect view of the vines of Puligny. It is an ideal spot to gaze at, and taste, the terroir that so clearly marks each of these wines, while gazing out the window at the actual terroir you are tasting. Benoit was his usual calm, happy self when we visited, commenting that “it was a pretty easy vintage, nothing too challenging to be honest. It was a little warm, but the ripening, when it came, came in a very linear fashion, so selecting our window to pick in was easy. We started on the 24th August.” This is an excellent range chez Sauzet, where the wines offer definition, site specificity and wonderful and rather sophisticated Puligny textures throughout. “It’s a little bit the style of 2020, but with more freshness, with whiter tones to the flavours. Acids are a bit higher too, and minerality too. It’s a “new classic” we could say; balanced, ripe and fresh in the mouth, and what’s more we don’t have too much alcohol in the vintage either”. Chapeau!

2023 Vintage

Sauzet winemaker Benoit Riffault took the decision to start the Sauzet harvest early, beginning on August 28th and wrapping up on September 5th. He was delighted he did, though admitted choosing the date was a challenge. “You never know what more you might get,” he smiled. But in the end, with sugars rising rapidly, Benoit was happy having his entire harvest safely into the winery when the heatwave arrived. Yields are good, if not massive. “Our yields were actually pretty similar to 2022,” Benoit told us. “We didn’t carry out green harvest, our old-vine plots just gave us a natural balance.” And it is perhaps the phrase “natural balance” that best defines these wines. Each a clear representation of its site, these are reference point Pulignys, offering elegant, flowing profiles and flavours that meld minerality with saltiness and cool fruits. This is a superb range of wines; a masterclass in the varied terroirs of Puligny-Montrachet seen through the lens of some very sensitive winemaking.