Puligny-Montrachet

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyard lies on the Côte de Beaune escarpment, of tectonic origin, oriented in a general north-east/south-west direction.
• This escarpment separates the calcareous plateaux of the Hautes Côtes, to the west at between 400 and 500 metres in altitude, from the Bresse plain to the east, a Tertiary graben lying at close to 200 metres.
• The bedrock consists of an alternation of limestones and marls from the Middle and Upper Jurassic, from the Bathonian to the Oxfordian, with colluvium mixing scree, clays, and silts on the slopes.
• The soils are weakly developed, generally calcareous, shallow, and free-draining, arranged in toposequences ranging from thin, highly calcareous soils at the top of the slope to deeper, surface-decarbonated soils at the foot.
• The climate, dominated by a cool oceanic tendency disrupted by continental or southerly influences channelled along the Rhône–Saône corridor, receives approximately 750 millimetres of annual rainfall and has a mean temperature of 10.5 °C.

• The harvest decree of 1685 stipulates that above the chemin de couche the vines are planted with the variety 'noirien', the former name of pinot noir, which then produced a wine made without skin maceration known as 'clairet'.
• In the eighteenth century chardonnay established itself decisively on the hillside, and Jullien noted in 1816 that the white wines of Puligny were commonly sold under the name 'Mont-Rachet'.
• The commune of Puligny appended the name of its most prestigious cru to its own, becoming Puligny-Montrachet in 1878, before the appellation d'origine contrôlée was recognised in 1937.
• The vines are trained at planting densities of more than 9,000 vines per hectare, with a varietal composition based on chardonnay and pinot noir, the latter accounting for just 1% of the planted area.

• When young, the white wine displays a pale yellow appearance with green highlights, aromas of lemongrass, fern, and spices over a honeyed background, and a restrained acidity that ensures balance.
• With age, the white wine can take on a golden colour with amber highlights and a complex nose recalling almond, toasted bread, or candied fruits, while the red wine is fruity and fairly supple with notes of strawberry and blackcurrant.

• The parcels classified as premier cru are distinguished by shallow, well-drained soils resulting from the slope, combined with a wide-open aspect that guarantees optimal sunshine.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Dénominations géographiques complémentaires

• Puligny-Montrachet ou Puligny-Montrachet Côte de Beaune AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Champ Canet AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Champ Gain AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Clavaillon AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Clos de la Garenne AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Clos de la Mouchère AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Hameau de Blagny AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru La Garenne AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru La Truffière AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Le Cailleret AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Les Chalumaux AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Les Combettes AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Les Demoiselles AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Les Folatières AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Les Perrières AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Les Pucelles AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Les Referts AOC (PDO)
• Puligny-Montrachet premier cru Sous le Puits AOC (PDO)

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF)
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — BIVB