Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Hameau de Blagny

Premoxed - amber color

Roasted toast, soft butter, nice acidity, apricot, well integrated oak, honey, really nice PM 1er cru.

Brought to a large group dinner; didn't take detailed notes. First off spouse is adverse to oak in her chard; not so in this case, she really enjoyed the integrated oak components. Nose was a little tight, white flowers, honeysuckle and lemon but on the palate there was good depth added from the judicious use of oak adding slate, toasted almonds, to go with the zippy lemon, tangerine, and white flowers. Good length on the finish. If you have some, …

Delicious. Balanced, pure fruit, excellent minerality and acidity. Long and persistent finish. Amazing compliment to the outrageous sushi that Billy kept coming for 3 hours. Sauzet is becoming one of my favorite producers.

Pretty wine with good purity, minerality and delineation. Citrus and floral notes. Well-textured. Quite youthful. Won't dissappoint.

Bastille Day Tastings-Mostly French (San Francisco) : More tropical than the Garenne. Very ripe fruit, some citrus, lower acidity and obvious wood. Very lush entry, drier finish. The least appealing and least typical of these 3 '09s.

Faint sulfur and yeast on the nose, at first - frankly, it reminded me of some aged Rieslings in that respect, despite this being a nice dry Chardonnay. The nose continued, mineral and faintly floral. *Boom!* - the palate hits you right away with such clean, crisp acidity and fresh citrus that it must somehow be a sparkling wine. Some green, yellow, white fruit and deep, intense minerality - if there is such a thing as 'terroir' it is here, …