2004 Domaine Comtesse de Cherisey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Hameau de Blagny

Burghound

• By Allen Meadows
  3rd Quarter, 2006, Issue #23, (See more on Burghound...)

  (Domaine Martelet de Cherisey Puligny-Montrachet Hameau de Blagny 1er Cru White) Subscribe to see review text.

JancisRobinson.com

• By Jancis Robinson, MW
  1/12/2006, (See more on JancisRobinson.com...)

  (Dom Martelet de Cherisey, Hameau de Blagny Puligny-Montrachet White) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  9/11/2007, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (MARTELET de Cherisey Hameau de Blagny) White Burgundy Dear Friends, One of the biggest benefits to spending so much time in France is the ability to actually taste a wine on its home turf in comparison to its entire peer group, whether the wines are imported to the US or not (in many cases 2-3 different tastings over the course of a few years to allow for evolution). One of the goals of my current trip was to re-visit the 2004 white Burgundy wines now that they’ve had a few years in bottle. To say I was impressed is an understatement. In sum, the 2004s (in general) are some of the finest white Burgundy’s of the past decade and I’m not even sure 2001 can rival it. As a broad generalization, the 2000, 2002 and 2005 counterparts are just not as defined, not as transparent. There is a certain blurry quality to many of the examples and the oak and alcohol are out of balance just enough to be troubling. Don’t get me wrong there were some great wines made in those years and If you like impact and extract, 2004 is really not for you as the acid can be high and the glycerols low. On the other hand, 2004 it is a clear vintage - a vintage of reflection and one that is a showcase for why we chase vineyard expression in white Burgundy. I tasted approximately 60 white Burgundy wines from the 2004 vintage and I expected the obvious wines to steal the show - they didn’t. There was a high level of detail across the board but a few relatively new producers stole the show and this one in particular. If you have not discovered the wines of Martelet de Cherisey, these are some of Burgundy’s finest wines and I was quite literally blown away by the La Genelotte. I tasted both of the wines below in barrel a few years ago and (to be honest) passed on both as they were merely good - boy was that a mistake. Only a few dozen cases of each were available and now it’s like pulling teeth for me to get even a few dozen bottles). What amazed me about this set of wines from Martelet de Cherisey is the bottled 2004 wines are completely different than their barrel samples - they have the verve, energy and taut, high altitude presence that was missing from the barrel samples and they are now almost unrivaled for their clarity - especially the Genelotte (do not confuse this with Martelet de Cherisey’s Blagny “Les Genelotte”, that is a lower priced red wine - this is the white Meursault-Blagny La Genelotte). What sets Martelet de Cherisey apart from its peer group is a preponderance of higher elevation vineyard sources, all within the boundary of Blagny and spilling into either Puligny or Meursault (thus, they use both names on the label, Meursault-Blagny). This ensures a certain respect for tension in the wines. To say this is an exciting, emerging source is putting it mildly. These are some of the more limited examples of white Burgundy entering the US market and I strongly urge you to take advantage - we have an exceptional price on both, about the same as at the cellar door in Blagny. Both are VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED but my heart resides firmly with the La Genelotte: 2004 Domaine Martelet de Cherisey Meursault-Blagny “La Genelotte” 1er As mentioned above, this wine is simply fantastic and it’s tough to find any faults with it. It has purity, precision, acid, a gorgeous weight – it is the essence of its terroir. For a wine I only rated 86pts in barrel, it serves me right for not tasting it again in bottle last year (I could have secured a lot more than what is available today). For what it is, I would rate the wine in the low 90’s at present and it keeps getting better: 2004 Domaine Martelet de Cherisey Puligny-Montrachet “Hameau de Blagny” 1er This is just a terrific all-around example of Puligny, with more extract than the La Genelotte but also a sense of refinement. It is feminine and powerful in the same sip and the alcohol is beautifully integrated. The terroir of the vineyard is starting to show through and this should be magical for many years to come - where the La Genelotte is full of rock, this is full of grace: Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Burg8680 Burg8670