Puligny- Montrachet…..in June
Leaving Meursault on the D113, heading to Puligny after a massive rain storm, the unmistakable aromas of the vines and their terroir can be smelt through the car window. For me it’s like coming home. Last time we were in Puligny was for the 2021 Saint Vincente Tournante held in March 2022 (due to COVID). An extraordinary experience for a Burgundy mad Welsh girl. That was a week of industry - hosting friends and decorating the house and then enjoying the wonderful atmosphere of the Tournante and the different wines made specially for the festival by the three villages involved (Hameau de Blagny, Puligny and Corpeau). Now we are back for relaxation - to enjoy the wines, the food and the walks in the vineyards and if I can find out where the bus stop is, I will take a bus into Beaune (it’s proving more difficult than anticipated to find it)….
So what’s new since March - there are a couple of properties being extensively renovated - the wonderful stone of the properties being cleaned and brought back to life. There are new menus at Olivier Leflaive’s hotel and a “wine bike” which needs more than 2 (and probably
6) to tour the vineyards. And Domaine Chanzy has extended its menu in its tasting room on the corner of Place de Marroniers/Rue du Pot de Fer.
My first impression of the vines this trip is how green most of them are and how carefully the vines have been cut and trained. The rows have wonderful clean lines. There are a few patches of yellow leaves where the vines may have lost nutrients. Possibly due to leaching from too much water recently; but these are not too evident . And there’s lots of activity in the vineyard despite the unseasonably hot weather .
The grapes are just at fruit set stage and there has been a small but definite change in the size of the fruit in the last 2 weeks. Today sees a slight change in the weather, from the wonderful blue skies with not a cloud to be seen, to more clouds and less heat ( it’s been over 30c for the last few days). The house shutters are still kept closed and the thick walls help keep the temperature down or at least for the first few days of the intense heat - the warmth has now percolated into the stone. With shutters closed the villages can look almost deserted in the heat of the day.
Our tastings have been fewer than usual this visit but still good as ever and we have had some very good meals in the village and in Beaune. I am remain in awe of the holidaying cyclists who cover large distances in the heat visiting different Domaines - for me it's by car or on foot around the village or to Chassagne, Hameau de Blagny or Corpeau!.
From June, monuments in Beaune such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the famous Hotel Dieu - Hospices de Beaune are illuminated in a “son et luminiere” showing their history. A spectacle really worth seeing. So now we are getting ready to close up the house . One last walk around the village boundary and through some of the vineyards and then back to the autoroute and home having made more memories in the Cote D’Or.
