Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet

When co-heir Jean-Marc Boillot withdrew his share of the Sauzet vineyards in the early 1990s, the family was forced to rebuild through new acquisitions and a deliberate négociant arm — the portfolio that exists today, including this village cuvée, is entirely the product of that reconstruction. Fruit is sourced from estate and purchased parcels across Puligny-Montrachet's argilo-calcaire soils, where clay retains moisture through dry summers while the limestone fraction drives the chalky, tensile minerality that defines the appellation. The 2018 growing season delivered generous ripeness without sacrificing structural precision. Whole-cluster pneumatic pressing feeds fermentation in French oak casks at 18–20°C using indigenous yeasts; village-level wines receive approximately 20% new oak over 12 months in barrel, followed by a further six months in stainless-steel tank on a proportion of lees — an 18-month total aging cycle that builds textural depth while preserving site-driven mineral tension. The legally unusual estate-plus-négociant structure means Sauzet cannot label this as 'Domaine,' yet it allows consistent quality even in short-crop years by blending estate and purchased Premier Cru-adjacent fruit. The 2018 vintage, warm and generous across Burgundy, delivers ripe stone fruit and hazelnut richness anchored by the house's signature chalky extract; drink now through 2027.