Winemaker Notes
Les Folatières is the largest Puligny premier cru and one of the best known thanks to its size and the quality of its wines. The name "Folatières" comes from folles-terres meaning "crazy earth" and refers to the eroding soil of this site. It sits high up on the hill above Clavoillons with meager soil resulting in a full-bodied wine with plenty of minerality and grip. Xavier's plot was purchased by his grandmother with parcels planted between 1959 and 1973. Aged from 12 to 14 months in 30-35% percent new French oak.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a classy bouquet, introverted initially then opening with wet limestone, orchard fruit and a touch of lemon verbena. The palate is very well balanced with good concentration, fine acidity and a tensile finish. Frankly, this is better than a lot of grander names and comes recommended.
Barrel Sample: 91-93
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A source of some of the finest, juicy, silky and elegantly floral Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet lies just to the north of Chassagne-Montrachet, a village with which it shares two of its Grands Crus vineyards: Le Montrachet itself and Bâtard-Montrachet. Its other two, which it owns in their entirety, are Chevalier-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. And still, some of the finest white Burgundy wines come from the prized Premiers Crus vineyards of Puligny-Montrachet. To name a few, Les Pucelles, Le Clavoillon, Les Perrières, Les Referts and Les Combettes, as well as the rest, lie northeast and up slope from the Grands Crus.
Farther to the southeast are village level whites and the hamlet of Blagny where Pinot Noir grows best and has achieved Premier Cru status.