Winemaker Notes
The Les Blanchots Dessus shows many of the profound qualities that make for great Montrachet. Honey, herbal notes such as mint or thyme, a concentration of apple, pear, and tropical fruits, and an earthy component of truffle or mushroom make this wine concentrated, rich and intense, yet elegant. Serve slightly chilled. Delightful with chicken or gamebirds such as pheasant. It is a superb complement to mushroom sauces, and works well with Coq au Vin. It is also a wonderful accompaniment to powerful cheeses, such as Burgundy’s famous Epoisses.
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
Paler in color, as was the village Blanchots. More saline than Fairendes, a little more tensile strength than the village Blanchots, with a more mineral and longer finish. Still young, a minor bitterness, but with potential for medium term ageing. Drink from 2026-2031.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Vinous
The 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Blanchots-Dessus 1er Cru has a well-defined, quite floral bouquet that is very composed, with hints of chamomile infusing the citrus fruit. The palate does not quite deliver on the promise of the nose. It has fine weight; however, it misses some tension and feels rather conservative towards the finish. You come away convinced that it could have given more.
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.