Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru "Les Perrieres"(1999)

shoots) early on and thus, he was better able to contain the vintage's natural vigor. When the floraison occurred, it was very homogeneous and thus, most of his parcels were ready to harvest at about the same time and ripening within bunches was quite even. Further, about 10 days before the harvest, it was warm and clear and there was a north wind, which eliminated any worries of rot from humidity. Importantly Gérard noted that because his yields were within reason, so were his pHs and he did not have to partially block the malos as he did in 97 and 98 as his acidities were all quite healthy. He also commented that his pHs didn't move much as a result of the malos because 99 was relatively low in malic acid. As a consequence, he did more battonage (lees stirring) in 99 than he normally does and did so for a full 11 months. Before bottling, he performed a light collage (fining) and the lightest filtration possible. The Bourgogne was bottled in July, the villages wines in September, the Garenne, Perrières, Referts and Folatières in November followed by the Combettes, Champs Canet and the 4 grands crus in December. Gérard believes the 99s are his best efforts since his fabulous 96s, and better than his 98s, 97s, 95s, 94s, 91s and on a par with his 92s and 93s; he said that the best corollary vintage may be 1990, as both 99 and 90 had big yet clean crops with healthy pHs and good chardonnay characters as well as expressing their terroirs extremely well. He has told me many times that he dislikes vintages that are excessively dense or ripe, believing that terroir and elegance are sacrificed on the altar of excessively low yields; this is why, for example, he is less than enthusiastic about his 98s, 97s and 95s. While Sauzet has always been known for its racy, pure wines that do indeed express well their respective terroirs, these 99s are dazzling in their purity and object lessons in the unfettered communication of the underlying terroir. These wines are, as a group, gorgeously balanced, display power without weight and offer superb delineation from the nose to the finish. While the Sauzet wines are never inexpensive, the quality is so good in 99 that at least a few bottles deserve a place in your cellars. Sauzet continued: Note: 17 year old vines aged in 33% new wood Delicate, almost feminine in style as this is built on finesse and elegance rather than power and intensity. This is quite backward and tight and the flavor profile one of grace and class with a combination of citrus and minerals that culminate in a surprisingly long finish, given the weight of the flavors. This is a bit like the 97-pound karate champion that can break 10 boards. Detail and nuance are delivered in spades as the intense flavors seemingly etch themselves into your palate. The only aspect preventing a higher score is the slight lack of mid-palate density.    (hide)