Etienne Sauzet Puligny Montrachet Les Combettes 2013 (750ML)

93 AM / 92-94 WA / 92 IWC

This is often the best 1er in the range and so it is again in 2013 if only by the smallest of margins. The notably floral nose features notes of pear, apple, lemon zest, spice and the barest hint of wood treatment. There is outstanding mid-palate density to the caressing yet powerful flavors that are at once succulent yet racy while secreting a soft saline component onto the refreshing and explosively long finish. This is very impressive and despite the fact that it will require at least a decade to reveal its full potential, it should drink reasonably well when young. June 2015. -Allen Meadows, Burghound

The 2013 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru les Combettes offers touches of oyster shell on the subtle marine-influenced bouquet that gradually opens in the glass. The palate is clean and fresh on the Zen-like entry: precise with keen mineral notes, sharpening towards a malic and focused finish. There is an almost Muscadet-like freshness imbued in this Combettes that lends it another dimension and enhances complexity. Bravo Beno¨t - this is what is called 'killer juice'! December, 2014. -NM, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Pale, bright yellow. A classy, more discreet version of the Champ-Canet on the nose, with less stone fruits but more minerality showing today. Fuller, fatter and drier on the palate, communicating a chewy impression of dusty extract to the flavors of hazelnut and iodiney minerality. This big boy really fills the mouth but it will need time in bottle to reveal its underlying fruit. Finishes saline and quite dry, with an impression of solidity. September, 2014. -Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar