The 2020 vintage of Clos de la Pucelles from Jean-Michel is absolutely stunning this year. The wine delivers a complex and very refined aromatic constellation of pear, apple, a touch of nectarine, a gorgeous base of limestone minerality, fresh almond, lemon blossoms, incipient notes of pastry cream and very refined framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and properly reserved out of the blocks, with a great mid-palate core, superb mineral drive and cut, zesty acids and a very long, vibrant and complex finish. Great juice. (Drink between 2026-2060)

The wine has a ripe green apple fruit, with aromas of acacia flower and spice. The texture is lively and fresh, balancing all this lovely density, richness and weight; a superb wine. This marvellous Clos runs the entire length of Pucelles, enclosed by a wall. Although replanted in part, a portion of the vines originally planted in 1947 remain. The must is settled overnight then fermented and aged in cask (25% new). Drinking Window 2025 - 2040. (CC)

The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Pucelle mingles aromas of pear and citrus oil with hints of smoke, white flowers and a subtle framing of toasty oak. Medium to full-bodied, ample and taut, with a fleshy core underpinned by tangy acids, it concludes with a saline finish. Always an early picker, Jean-Michel Chartron began his harvest on August 14, chaptalizing some of his cuvées. The result is a set of fine-boned, delicate wines that are certainly nicely balanced, but which lack a bit of concentration and mid-palate plenitude to my palate, and which in some instances display a discreet herbaceous streak. Picking early served Jean-Michel very well in several recent vintages, most notably 2015, but I wonder whether it was the right choice in 2020. (WK)