SERIOUS WHITE BURGUNDIES - (8/8/2025)
Wanted to share an Ente with fellow white lovers which resulted a superb line-up; the producers on show today were all very singular and among my favourites. While white Burgundies can be maddeningly inconsistent, they can hit the highest highs and I find that Ente is a producer that consistently does it for me. The '11 showed the best to me today, but would be interesting to hear if anyone can share how his methods have changed as the '01, '11, '18 showed quite differently even though they shared the signature powerful acidity.
- 2011 Arnaud Ente Meursault Les Petits Charrons - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Meursault
My contribution. 662 bottles and 90 magnums, didn’t realise that this was such a rare bottling (0.34ha which is comparable to La Seve du Clos at 0.32ha). Was ready to go on pop and pour other than some slight reduction, this was the Goldilocks wine for me in comparison to the '01 Referts and '18 Meursault village at the same dinner. Absolutely electrifying acidity with pure, crisp citrus fruit as with my previous Ente experiences. Terrific presence for its level, the acidity provided both minerality and power to give a very complete wine. My favourite of the line-up. (95 pts.) - 2002 Louis Jadot Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
Knew the identity of the wine but not the vintage, guessed a warmer year like '05. Weighty without showing much else at the beginning but it became fresher with time in the glass. Ripe orchard fruit with some honey notes, had the density but not the finesse of the Bouchard that I had a couple of weeks ago. Lost acidity and became flabby after a couple of hours so guess this bottle was teetering on the edge of premox. (92 pts.) - 2004 Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Was surprised that this turned out to be a Carillon since this showed some unintegrated oak and tropical fruit (compared to the usual citrus and green fruit profile). Guessed this to be a larger-scaled maker like Boillot from a warm vintage like '10 or '12, but Carillon made sense given the restraint and precision on this wine. Surprisingly backward still and another wine that improved with air. Excellent but not quite a textbook Carillon. (94 pts.) - 2001 Arnaud Ente Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
From an even smaller plot of 0.22ha. A treat to try such an old Ente and the generous friend who brought it said that this was from a clearance sale for <S$100 back in the day! Golden in colour but not lacking freshness, had the signature Ente acidity but not quite the precision or purity of the later vintages. Guessed this as a '00 Puligny but didn’t land on Ente as the maker. Very enjoyable without having the same depth of the '11 or '18. (92 pts.) - 2018 Arnaud Ente Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Only had coiled acidity at first but broadened with air as the citrus and pear fruit became more expressive. Needs a lot more time but the potential is clearly there, last glass was the best and showed a glimpse of its depth. (93 pts.) - 2013 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, CĂ´te de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Friend who brought it said this wine usually needed a lot of time and I could see why, very reticent to begin with despite its obvious class. I guessed Coche since it had the same nose as the '22 Coche Meursault village that I had in Burgundy and and it didn’t have the zesty citrus fruit profile that I associate with Leflaive. Quite slender and surprisingly the most understated wine of the night given its stature (or lacking concentration if I am being harsh). Another wine that would benefit from more time, if it can avoid premox. (93 pts.) - 2022 Niepoort Douro Coche Branco - Portugal, Douro
Wow nobody at the table (including myself) identified this as a non-Burgundy, was even more shocked that this didn’t have Chardonnay in the blend. We couldn’t pinpoint a defining characteristic of this wine so most of us went Chassagne for the village, but the reason was obvious on reveal. Nonetheless a very serious white with well-judged oak use, ripeness, and reduction that made it a much better imposter than the likes of Kumeu River. Elegant but with serious weight, a very well-balanced wine. (93 pts.) - 2018 Fratelli Alessandria Barolo Monvigliero - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
My extra, wanted to test drive this after recently taking delivery of a case. Most at the table guessed this as a Vosne but I agreed with someone who said that the tannin profile was not Pinot despite the prettiness and spice. Alluring nose with lovely freshness and silky texture but thought this didn’t come together as a cohesive unit. Tartness and tannins were a little out of balance to me, and the layers of pretty red fruit had depth but not delineation. Needs more time. (91 pts.)
I guess you could say advanced but likely just over the hill and tired considering the vintage.