Thierry et Pascale Matrot Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chalumeaux 2020 750ml

93-95 The 2020 Puligny Chalumaux 1er Cru was showing a little reduction on the nose, although there seems to be plenty of tensile, citrus fruit here, touches of lime and orange pith. The palate is well balanced with a slightly waxy, resinous opening, fresh and quite saline though it closes down towards the finish. Nice persistence. Maybe longer-term than the La Garenne.

• Country: France
• Region: Burgundy
• Appellation: Cote De Beaune
• Sub Appellation: Puligny Montrachet
• Size: 750ml
• Color: White

Varietal

Chardonnay

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one that has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is Chardonnay. This green-skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity, which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.