2015 Benoit Ente Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Truffiere, 3-bottle Lot

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.”

La Truffiere is a 7.2-acre acre Premier Cru vineyard in the Puligny-Montrachet appellation of Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. It is up the slope and west of many of the appellation’s Premier Cru vineyards, and in fact wasn’t farmed as a vineyard until the mid-20th century, when the land was cleared of rocks and scrub. The elevation is 300 to 380 meters.

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.