2012 Benoit Ente Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres En La Richarde

Domaine Benoit Ente was established in 1998, when the then 30-year old Benoit Ente started his own domaine with seven acres of vineyards inherited from his grandfather. For almost a decade before that he had worked some family property with an aunt, growing grapes and selling them to negociants. But Ente wanted to make his own wine. His debut vintage was the 1999 and since then he has added impressive parcels to his estate. He has Puligny-Montrachet premier cru parcels in Champ Gain, Les Folatières and Les Referts, as well as parcels in Chassagne-Montrachet. Benoit is the younger brother of Arnaud Ente, a well-regarded grower and winemaker in Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. Clive Coates has called Benoit Ente “an address to watch.”

Les Folatieres is a 43-acre Premier Cru vineyard in the appellation of Puligny-Montrachet, in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. It is nearly in the center of the Premier Crus and is the largest Premier Cru in Puligny-Montrachet. Burgundy writer Clive Coates has written that “Les Folatieres is a fullish, meaty, mineral wine with plenty of weight of fruit and good grip – a typical Puligny premier cru in fact.”

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.