Etienne Sauzet, Montrachet

Etienne Sauzet, Montrachet(made from purchased must sourced from Domaine Thnard, whose vines are on the Chassagne side; aged in two thirds new oak; only two barrels produced in 2016). This is sufficiently reduced that the nose is tough to properly assess. The broader shouldered flavors possess an almost painful intensity with plenty of muscle and mouth coating sap that manages to adequately buffer the slightly warm and youthfully awkward finish. I suspect that this will

sappy flavor of tart cherry stomp and spreads out horizontally to saturate the palate

which is the reason we have cool rooms before fermentation

The only cloud on the horizon concerns the winerys ramped up production during a period of economic hard times

dark cocoa

a mixture of red and black fruit laced with subtle marine/seaweed notes

The last time this was seen

Bibi Graetz's 2018 Colore came together without a hitch

Once again very firm reduction buries the underlying fruit

silky and fine

but they are delivered in a more undertone and one-dimensional manner

This would appear to have outstanding underlying material but it was quite awkward and frankly difficult to judge and my score mixes a bit of reservation with the benefit of the doubt

Lovely stuff fashioned in an understated style