2007 Lucien Le Moine Montrachet "P"

From one of Burgundy's superstar producers, this is a rare find. Lucien Le Moine was established in 1999 by Mounir Saouma, a former Lebanese monk, and his wife Rotem. The duo generally make just a barrel or two of each of their wines, resulting in just 25-50 cases of each bottling. Saouma doesn't make a Montrachet every vintage, and in a handful of vintages he has experimented in bottling his Montrachet from the Puligny and Chassagne sides of the vineyard separately, like in this 2007. (The "P" stands for Puligny.) In his Wine Advocate review of the version of the 2007 Montrachet "C," writer David Schildknecht mentions the "P," still in barrel: "The barrel from the Puligny side didn't even begin its malo until one year of age, and was not yet completely finished (or at least, not yet gas-free) the following Spring when I tasted. But it should compliment its partner beautifully. (That said, until very late, Brakin and Saouma were undecided whether to perhaps bottle the two barrels separately.) Its honeyed, quince preserve richness is positively enveloping and seductive. Both components have in common an eloquent purity of sweet fruit and liquid perfume, and the blend will almost certainly retain a degree of chalky, saline mineral presence unusual for this appellation. I would expect the results to also merit a dozen years of reverent reconsideration." (12/2009)