Winemaker Notes
Lovely floral bouquet on the nose with aromas of hot croissant or brioche and candied lemon. Over time, the nose develops nuances of spice and roasted hazelnut. Bold yet elegant on the palate, this Chassagne-Montrachet is fleshy and well balanced. Long on the finish with gingerbread and floral notes.
Ideal with fine fish and seafood, it is also a good match for white meats, poultry in sauce and full-flavored cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Red-cherry pastilles and smoky, spicy notes of charred anise and clove introduce this fresh, fruit-focused Pinot Noir. Finely etched with tannins and mouthwatering in style, it’s an immediately enjoyable wine with an elegant, subtly earthen finish. At peak now
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James Suckling
Quite a flinty and funky (reduction) nose. But, once it opens, there’s attractive ripe-apricot character. The medium-bodied palate has nice, creamy elegance with well-integrated oak that supports the harmonious finish neatly.
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Wine Spectator
Generous, evoking peach, lemon, pastry and a hint of wild herb flavors. There is fine acidity to keep it balanced and motivate the crisp finish.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A Côte de Beaune village of Burgundy most famous for its beautifully textured and powerful whites, Chassagne-Montrachet reaches farthest south in the Côte d’Or, save for the village of Santenay. It has three Grands Crus vineyards: Le Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Le Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet overlap with and are (confusingly) shared with the village of Puligny-Montrachet. But Chassagne-Montrachet bears sole ownership of the Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru.
The beauty doesn’t stop there as the village has a great many outstanding Premiers Crus wines and village level wines. Most famous Premiers Crus vineyards include Les Chenevottes, Clos de la Maltroie, En Cailleret and Les Ruchottes. Also, village level wines offer many lovely examples of what Chassagne-Montrachet has to offer, but at more approachable price points and perhaps less demand of waiting.
The best sites in Chassagne-Montrachet have complex soils of sedimentary rock and limestone (with less marl). Whites, which are by law composed of 100% Chardonnay (as in all classified white Burgundy from Côte d’Or), have steely power, bright and concentrated citrus, stone or tropical fruit characteristics and attractive textures ranging from plush to tactile, grippy and mineral-driven.
There is some fine Pinot Noir produced from the village. These wines tend to be high-toned and earthy, with wild herb aromas and suave tannins.