The Art of White Burgundy - Meursault & Puligny-Montrachet - Sunday 5 July 2026

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

I attended a white Burgundy luncheon today at Lamonts in Cottesloe. It was hosted superbly by Yasmeen Jansen MW, who took us through four flights of Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault. The wines were mostly from the 2022 and 2023 vintages, with a couple of older wines included to demonstrate ageing potential.

The flights were complemented by a four-course luncheon, designed to accompany the wines. There were fourteen wines in total, over the four flights.

Flight One:

2021 Jean Monnier Puligny Montrachet: Medium yellow in colour. Lemon, nectarine and pink grapefruit on the nose, with a modest cedar note. More lemon and nectarine on the palate. There’s moderate oak, both in terms of flavour and texture. Acid is fresh and clean, and the wine has reasonable length.

2023 Philippe Chavy Corvées des Vignes Puligny-Montrachet: Medium yellow colour. Peach, nectarine and some citrus on the nose, accompanied by some spicy oak. The palate has more stone fruits and oak overtones, and these evolved over time in the glass. There’s a slight creamy texture, good supporting acid, and a medium finish. A bigger wine from a warmer year.

2022 Jean Monnier Meursault Les Rougeots: A more savoury nose than the previous wines, with peaches, nectarines and moderately spicy oak. The palate shows more stone fruits and a touch pf citrus. There’s a slight buttery texture, softer acid and a modest grip. Medium finish.

2023 Philippe Chavy Meursault: A deeper yellow colour. A little new wood in the mix, apparently. A mix of citrus and stone fruits - lemon, grapefruit, quince and nectarine. The palate is impacted by a touch of brett, and shows more stone fruits than citrus flavours. There’s savoury oak and a slightly grippy mouthfeel or texture.

Flight Two:

2023 Philippe Chavy Rue Rousseau Puligny-Montrachet: Medium yellow in colour. A fuller nose, with a touch of struck match. Plenty of sweet cedary oak alongside peach and nectarine on the nose. The palate is rich with more stone fruits, supporting acid and some grip on the long finish.

2022 Chapelle de Blagny Meursault Ravelles 1er Cru: Pale yellow colour. More in the citrus spectrum than previous wines (lemon and mandarin), although there’s some stone fruits in the background. There’s also toasty oak notes, on both the nose and palate. Mouth watering acidity is offset by almost drying tannins. Medium to long finish. This may fill out with maturity.

2023 Domaine Henri Germain Meursault 'Les Chevalières': Medium yellow colour. The nose is a blend of stone fruits (peach and nectarine) and citrus (gentle lemon), and some florals. The palate is a delightful balance between fruits and oak, with a creamy texture and supporting acid. Long finish and well balanced overall.

Flight Three:

2022 Chapelle de Blagny Puligny-Montrachet Hameau de Blagny 1er Cru: Medium yellow in colour. Oak is more noticeable on the nose, and there’s ripe peach and nectarine, balanced by some lemon/citrus. The palate has some texture / grip and cleansing acid. Medium to long finish and a step up in power from the previous flights.

2023 Philippe Chavy Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru: Moderate yellow colour. There’s more lemon and citrus than stone fruits on the nose, and the oak is played down in comparison. With time in the glass, the peach elements emerged a little more. The palate is round with fuller stone fruit flavours. There’s good acid and a slight textural grip. Medium to long finish. For me, the nose was quite different to the palate and they did not align.

2015 Morey Coffinet Puligny Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru: A deeper yellow colour. An initial touch of reduction on the nose. There’s ripe stone fruits on top of polished oak – rich and full and evolved in the glass with time. The palate is savoury with a little oak grip and supporting acid. Again, the fruit emerged over time. Long finish.

Flight four:

2023 Philippe Chavy Meursault 'Charmes' 1er Cru: Medium yellow. A restrained nose, with some stone fruits and moderate oak. The palate ha a sour note among a reasonable amount of fruit. Too young? Something didn’t add up here.

2022 Pernot Belicard Meursault Perrieres 1er Cru: Pale yellow colour. Apple, citrus, yellow peach and nectarine on the nose, with savoury, almost smoky oak. The palate shows more smoky oak, with ripe peaches and stone fruits. Long finish.

2023 Domaine Leflaive Meursault Sous le Dos d'Âne 1er Cru: Medium yellow. A delightfully balanced nose with a blend of white peach, lemon, nectarine, grapefruit and quince, and just enough oak also meshing with the fruits. The palate shows a fraction more citrus (especially lemon and grapefruit) than stone fruits. There’s sufficient supporting oak, and fresh, almost racy acid. A very long and harmonious finish, and my favourite wine of the day. All in balance.

2013 Bouchard Pere & Fils Meursault-Perrieres 1er Cru: This is showing signs of development, with honey and toast on the nose, and savoury oak over citrus and stone fruits. The palate has some citrus (lemon and orange) with savoury, grippy oak and the acid is providing freshness. Long finish.

An informative and (for me) highly educational event. Many thanks indeed to Yasmeen Jansen MW for her considerable insights and quietly conversational presentation style. Thanks also to the team at Lamonts, for their usual high standard of food and impeccable service.

Cheers
Allan