Anthony put on a brilliant Monday Table this week, where we got to explore Folatières. With a good cross section of producers, we were able to get a proper handle on the vineyard. It is a very good Premier Cru. Probably no argument could be made for Grand Cru status (except for the ’00 ‘D’Auvenay). The wines have good depth and breadth and there is often a gentle tropical note present. There’s excellent minerality to most of the wines and they all tend to have an unctuous feel, especially the 2020’s which are sappy by the very nature of the vintage.
The food at Melbourne’s Society restaurant was brilliant.
N.V. Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Lieux-dits Extra Brut Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Les Carelles : I didn’t catch the disgorgement date, but it certainly had some age on cork and showed brilliantly. Rich and nutty and crammed with orchard fruits. A touch of vanilla spice too. So complex, layered and long. Each sip engages and invites another.
N.V. Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Lieux-dits Extra Brut Ay La Côte Faron : A February 2015 disgorgement. Plenty of green apple and flint and a hint of caramel. Rich and powerful, yet light and fluffy. Possesses a strong minerally line and good cut to the finish.
2020 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : Green melon, white peach and smoky mineral. Rich and heady through the mid-palate. Layered and long. Beautifully balanced and vital and fresh.
2020 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières ( Récolte du Domaine) : A bit more tropical fruit than the Domaine Leflaive bottling. Good depth and intensity. Minerality lurking below the flesh. Persistent and sappy finish.
2020 Domaine Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : A delicate yet complex nose of white flowers, white peach and flint. Dense and sappy but light and airy. Good mienrally detail. Excellent wine.
2020 Domaine Alain Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : Some exoticism top the fruit profile. Sappy and dense at its core. Smoky, spicy and full. Good drive.
2020 Benoit Ente Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Folatières En la Richarde : Complex aromatics of dried apricot, ripe peach, pineapple and aniseed. It is deep and chewy, with good build. The finish is very long and sappy.
2017 Buisson-Charles Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : A nose of lavender, white peach and pineapple. Full and rich in the mouth, with a real unctuous feel. Layered and powerful and beautifully balanced for such a larger scaled wine.
2019 Jean-Marie Bouzereau Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : A touch of smoky reduction. Gently nutty. Fresh peach and citrus fruits. Complex and layered. Nice chalky structure. Very mineral on the finish.
2018 Domaine Dujac Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : Melon and white peach along with some honeysuckle. Good chew in the mouth, with red wine-like build. Loads of chalky dry extract to the tail.
2014 Jean-Marc Roulot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : Sadly, this was far too advanced.
2012 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : Pure white peach fruits along with a suggestion of mango and rockmelon. Complex, layered and unctuous. Fabulous poise and balance and a long finish of mineral precision and freshness.
2008 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : A little bit cheesy and leesy to begin with. Really opened up in the glass to show a touch of the exotic. The palate was deep and wide and had a refreshing saline mineral quality to it. So sappy and long, with great chew.
2015 Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : Cool, calm and even. Precise and complex with contained power. Beautifully defined orchard fruits and a touch of spice. Excellent mineral cut and chalk infused flavours linger.
2000 Domaine d’Auvenay Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : On my shortlist for white wine of the year. So rich and deep, with outstanding detail and cut. Some smoky reduction gives way to allow the pure white peach fruit to shine. It has notes of spearmint and chalk too. It is creamy, rich and unctuous through the mid-palate and such awesome power without excessive weight. The finish powers on and on.
2005 Domaine d’Auvenay Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières : The nose is smoky and loaded with ripe orchard fruits. It is dense and sappy in the mouth, with so much underlying chew. There’s plenty of spice and the finish is chalky and very long.
1955 Château d’Yquem, Sauternes : The nose simply draws you in with notes of cumquat, honey, lanolin and vanilla. The palate is multi-layered and possesses the perfect amount of sweetness. It is rich and heady, yet detailed and precise. Structural elements support and the finish is expansive and so persistent. A wonderful bottle.