Wednesday Wine Tasting 7/15

July 15: Puligny Montrachet

Come join us for a fabulous afternoon of wine tasting at The San Francisco Wine Trading Company! Whether you're a wine connoisseur or just looking to have a good time, this event is perfect for you. Sample a variety of exquisite wines and mingle with fellow wine enthusiasts. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to expand your palate and enjoy some delicious wines. See you there!

2023 Domaine Sylvain Bzikot Puligny-Montrachet $144.94

Domaine Sylvain Bzikot is located just outside Puligny-Montrachet and has been farming Burgundy since the 1940s, when Sylvain's grandfather emigrated from Poland and began cultivating the region's prized vineyards. Over the decades, the family assembled approximately 15 hectares across some of the Côte de Beaune's finest sites. In the 1990s, Sylvain and Béatrice Bzikot began bottling under their own label, overseeing every step from vineyard to bottle.

Today, the estate farms sustainably with minimal intervention, hand harvesting and carefully sorting fruit to express the character of each vineyard. This Puligny-Montrachet is sourced from several parcels above the village, including the lieu-dit Les Petites Nosroyes. The wine is vinified with 60% in stainless steel to preserve freshness and purity, and 40% in French oak barrels, approximately 20% new, adding texture without overwhelming the wine's mineral character.

2023 Domaine de Montille Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières $224.94

Domaine de Montille is one of Burgundy's most historic and celebrated estates, with family roots in the region dating to the 18th century. The modern renaissance of the domaine began when Hubert de Montille took over in 1947. Rejecting the prevailing practice of selling fruit to négociants, Hubert championed terroir-driven estate bottlings long before they became the norm. His son Étienne joined the domaine in 1983, helping lead the transition to organic farming beginning in 1995 and biodynamic viticulture in 2005. The estate earned organic certification in 2012, while Hubert's daughter Alix has overseen the white wines since 2006.

Les Folatières derives its name from the old French foletière, meaning a place haunted by woodland spirits or elves. Domaine de Montille farms a 0.52-hectare parcel in the heart of this celebrated Premier Cru, flanked by the legendary vineyards of Domaine Leflaive and Domaine Leroy. Widely regarded as one of Puligny-Montrachet's finest Premier Crus alongside Le Cailleret and Les Pucelles, its limestone and clay soils produce wines of exceptional elegance and minerality. The wine is fermented in a combination of 228- and 600-liter barrels with just 5–20% new oak before being transferred to stainless steel for the second phase of aging to preserve freshness and precision.

2023 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Puligny-Montrachet Les Charmes $244.94

Domaine des Comtes Lafon is one of Burgundy's most revered estates. The house and cellars were built in 1869 by the Boch family, but the domaine rose to prominence after Jules Lafon married Marie Boch in 1894. Through visionary vineyard acquisitions, Jules assembled many of Meursault's and Volnay's finest Premier Cru vineyards before adding parcels in Le Montrachet Grand Cru in 1919.

The modern reputation of the domaine was shaped by Dominique Lafon, who took over in the 1980s and transformed Comtes Lafon into one of the world's benchmark white wine producers. A pioneer of biodynamic viticulture in Burgundy, Dominique dramatically reduced yields, emphasized meticulous vineyard work, and focused on expressing each vineyard's unique terroir. His philosophy established the domaine's signature style of power balanced by remarkable precision, minerality, and longevity.

Based in Meursault, Domaine des Comtes Lafon has also become renowned for its Puligny-Montrachet holdings. Les Charmes is a prized lieu-dit that produces wines combining richness with tension and mineral precision. The wine is fermented and aged in carefully selected French oak barrels, with only a modest proportion of new oak, allowing the purity of the fruit and the limestone-driven character of the vineyard to remain at the forefront.

2023 Pierre Girardin Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières $349

The Girardin family is one of Burgundy's great winemaking dynasties, with Pierre Girardin representing the 13th generation. After training under his father, Vincent Girardin, Pierre launched his own domaine with the 2017 vintage using 4.5 hectares of exceptional vineyard holdings retained by his father. He has quickly become one of Burgundy's most sought-after young producers, known for precision, purity, and thoughtful élevage.

Working from Meursault, Pierre commissioned custom 456-liter barrels—larger than traditional Burgundian barriques—to reduce the influence of new oak and emphasize site expression. His Les Folatières comes from a rare village-designated section entirely surrounded by Premier Cru vineyards, a parcel shared only with Domaine d'Auvenay. The wine is fermented and aged for 12 months in 456-liter barrels, 50% new, before spending an additional eight months in stainless steel to preserve its energy, tension, and mineral precision.