2017 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes
Community Tasting Note
csimm wrote:
Friday, March 4, 2022 - Seriously good juice. A few years ago when I was first tapping a number of Etienne Sauzet wines, they were showing undeniable purity and verve. Additionally, now they appear to be spreading their wings. If this Combettes is to be a relative example to go by, there is breadth and body bursting from the glass, with a distinct peachy and orange creamsicle/apricot-y profile that adds a tremendous degree of succulence here, perfectly counterbalancing the lemon, pear, chalk, and lime notes. With about an hour of air, this was absolutely singing. 95+ points. Drink now with air or hold for a few years.
QPR-wise at $200++ (currently $255 is the lowest I see on WineSearcher), it is a bit of a stretch. However, this makes a compelling argument as to why it should sit in the upper echelon of P-M 1ers. A great showing for this bottle.
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7 comments have been posted
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (3,622 views)
Comment posted by WineBurrowingWombat:
4/8/2022 3:08:00 PM - Oh man great notes as always, I drank this one through you. Thank you! I'd use a chef's kiss emoji but can't find one.
Comment posted by csimm:
4/9/2022 9:19:00 AM - Haha WBW! This was a fantastic wine. The sticker shock is a bit much but its performance measured up. I’m debating about getting a couple 2019s, but I’m procrastinating. Stupid inflation. Anyway, hope you are doing well my friend!
Comment posted by WineBurrowingWombat:
4/9/2022 4:27:00 PM - I'm good! Hanging in there, hope all is well with you too, my friend - I'm sure it is with what you're tasting though ;)
Since you mentioned about the price tags, with the amt of Burgundy you're going through, around what price range would you say you can be satisfied with quality and flavorful stuff - IF you had to guess? I'm quite curious!
Comment posted by csimm:
4/10/2022 10:18:00 AM - A bit of a complicated question :) and I suppose "it depends" rings true here just cuz there are always exceptions. Generally, I think there are top whites from Burgundy and Chablis to be had in the $90-125 range. I think I have mentioned J/P Droin before as a favorite of mine for Chablis. The Grand Crus (specifically Clos, Valmur, and Grenouilles) used to run in the $65-70 arena, but are now north of $90-100+ for more recent vintages. Chablis traditionalists may scoff at Droin for their intensity and broader breadth of flavor. For purists, I offer Christian Moreau, Fevre, or Piuze. For Chablis, I am usually sticking to Grand Cru over 1er cru, with the exception of Vincent Dauvissat (1er Forest is a winner). Also, Malandes is the best deal in the Chablis market, with their two Grand Crus still popping up in the $70+ bracket.
For white Burgundy outside of Chablis, Henri Boillot's whites are very good, though the price creep/inflation has made his top 1ers inching toward the $200 realm. Paul Pernot, Marc Colin and Hubert Lamy (St. Aubin area) are producers I gravitate to also - especially because most of them use DIAM closures and, with few exception, I am passing on a number of otherwise good producers just because they still use natural cork and I hate wasting money on risky would-be-premoxed bottles.
Anyway, once you are spending over $200 for white Burg, you're a next-level buyer. I'm not usually doing that on the regular, as there are so many good white Burgs around the $100 price point in my opinion.
Comment posted by WineBurrowingWombat:
4/13/2022 11:13:00 AM - Thank you so much for the amazing information as always!
Comment posted by Jquinn1014:
4/26/2022 9:28:00 PM - Clearly needs to breath and open up. Once it does, it’s a great experience.
Comment posted by csimm:
4/26/2022 9:52:00 PM - Indeed Jquinn. A lot of life cooked up into this particular wine. Very compelling!