2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1. Cru Les Referts Domaine Jacques Carillon

Pale colour with a light lemon tint. The nose offers a fraction more fresh fruit than the other 1ers crus, indeed it grows in the glass. Tightly knit, concentrated fruit, the most depth and the best fruit acid balance of the three. Clearly a wine with a lovely future. Seamless finish. This has come together extremely well since tasting last year, prior to bottling.

More upright and closed than the other two Premiers Crus in Jacques Carillon's range, with flavours of citrus peel and green herbs, this is still very youthful at the moment and will need more time in bottle to digest its 20% new wood. Taut and focused, with a very flinty, mineral palate and some subtle struck match reduction.

The highlight of Carillon's range of premiers crus is the 2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Réferts, a lovely cuvée that exhibits pretty scents of citrus oil, white flowers and warm bread. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with both more concentration and tension than the Perrières this year, concluding with a promisingly chalky finish. I'm looking forward to revisiting it in bottle.

(45+ year old vines). Carillon noted that this has been racked the morning of my visit and not surprisingly the nose was dominated by the SO2 addition. More interesting are the voluminous, enveloping and opulent larger-scaled and very rich flavors that brim with sappy dry extract that also buffers the firmer acid spine shaping the slightly longer and more complex finale. Excellent development potential here. (91-93)/2028+

The 2018 Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts 1er Cru has an almost clinical bouquet with taut, focused and wet limestone and flinty aromas, a touch of apple blossom emerging with time. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, concentrated and long, the most "gras" of Carillon’s cuvées in this vintage with a persistent finish. Great potential.