Burgundy. Domaine Bzikot Puligny-Montrachet 2018
Decided to open this one rather early but wanted to give it a try as Sylvain Bzikot is from Poland!
Flavour Profile
Sylvain Bzikot has traditional and respectful approach to winemaking and it really shows in the end product. The grapes for this village level wine picked by hand and half of it is matured in 1yr old oak barrels to add some richness and density, with the other half matured in stainless steel to preserve the freshness and fruitiness.
It proven to be a wonderfully fresh and harmonius Côte de Beaune white Burgundy. Very tightly closed at the beginning, after roughly 1 hour of slow oxidation the wine began to open up. At first I had a slight VA scent which fortunately shortly gave way to more pleasant aromas.
On the nose I found peach, passion fruit, fresh citrus fruit flavours, but also butter and salty notes. On the palate it was a bit mineral due to high levels of lime in the soil and exuberant. Buttery and hazelnut notes started coming through more strongly mid-palate, which you come to expect in Côte de Beaune white Burgundy.
It was also very acidic at the beginning and started to smooth out nicely with areation, but the hint is that it still has plenty of time of positive evolution. The finish was decent and pleasing. Medium gold in color.
Great value for money! - 92/100.
History
If upon seeing the name "Bzikot" you thought it didn't sound very French, then you'd be right. Sylvain's grandfather arrived in the village of Puligny from Poland just before the start of the war with nothing but the clothes he stood up in. Over the generations the family has acquired four hectares of vineyards within the celebrated Puligny-Montrachet and Puligny 1er Cru appellations – including Les Perrieres and Les Folatieres. The vineyard area totals 14 hectares. The vines are on average 40 years old. Additionally they own another nine hectares, producing wines under the local Bourgogne Blanc and similar appellations. Although winemaking began in the 1950s when Sylvain entered the picture in the 1990s, all wine was sold to negociants. It was under him that Domaine Bzikot started to bottle and sell directly their wine.