2016 Philippe Colin, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru, Les Demoiselles

(frost losses were modest here as the bottom portion of the vineyard escaped damage): Bright yellow. Sexy, superripe yellow fruits and a musky truffley note on the nose. Very ripe and rich, with a juicy peach flavor and an exotic mango quality. Densely packed wine with surprising acid balance for its ripeness; there's nothing thick or heavy here. Most impressive today on the very long, slow-building, palate-saturating finish. Serious wine, but not for now--and yet it's revealing much more personality than a barrel sample demonstrated in the late spring of 2017.

The 2016 Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru les Demoiselles was half the normal harvest this vintage. It has a light bouquet of apple blossom and freshly sliced pear aromas, tightly knit and needing a tad more vigor and terroir expression to develop during the remainder of its élevage. The palate is taut and fresh with candied orange peel and hints of apricot on the entry; a fine bead of acidity with good salinité on the finish. This is one of those samples that gets better as it goes along, so my score reflects my optimism given this is afforded 2 or 3 years in bottle.