2021 Domaine Jean Chartron 'Clos du Cailleret’ 1er Cru Puligny-Montrachet

Winemaker Notes:  Jean-Michel Chartron is the 5th generation of the family to direct this 14.5 ha domaine that owns some of the finest terroirs in Puligny. Chartron enthusiastically told me "I love this vintage even if there were a lot of reasons not to love it, starting with the April frost and then the growing season from hell. Despite everything that went sideways, what little fruit we did harvest brought us pure, precise, energetic and strikingly transparent wines. It depends on the style one likes of course but for those who enjoy old school vintages, the 2021s are perhaps the best wines we have made since 2014." I would agree with Chartron that there are several seriously good wines in his range. He noted that there will be no Montrachet in 2021. Chartron again noted that he's now using the Diam brand for the entire range whereas before it was only for the entry level wines. As such, he has reduced the level of free SO2 from 40 ppm to 35 ppm. The following wines are mostly from domaine fruit though there are a few lower-level wines that are bought in either fruit or must. Lastly, most of the 2021 whites were bottled in January 2023. 

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Decanter - "Chartron’s Clos du Cailleret is a regal premier cru. This emblematic cuvée of the Chartron family is particularly successful in 2021, with exotic aromas of guava and pomelo, lemon, and spice. The texture is concentrated and rich, with no lack of acidity but an equally impressive richness in extract for balance. The vines come from the Chartron parcel of nearly a hectare at the northern end of the Clos. The grapes are lightly crushed and slowly pressed before fermentation in cask (25% new)—genuinely delicious wine."

Burghound - "A more reserved if equally airy and elegant speaks more of acacia, green apple and zest, all of which is trimmed in enough wood to notice. Here too there is excellent volume and punch to the medium-bodied that flash noticeably more minerality on the beautifully persistent finish. Like the Pucelle, this possesses a simply gorgeous texture that can be replicated by no other commune in the Côte. It's worth pointing out that the Pucelle and Cailleret are quite similar qualitatively but they offer two very different expressions."