Domaine Roux Pere & Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 2011
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2018-
Wilfred
Wong
Domaine Roux is situated in the Saint Aubin village of the Côte de Beaune. This historic property maintains one of the most incredible libraries of back vintage Burgundy in magnums. For many generations, the Roux Family have supplied their wines to top-notch restaurants and boutique wine shops throughout France. No one in Burgundy has such an impressive collection of verticals from such a diverse array of villages, single vineyards and Premier Cru wines.
Founded in 1885, Domaine Roux is currently operated by the 4th and 5th generation of the Roux family. With vineyard holdings throughout the Côte d'Or, the majority of the vines are planted on eastern and southern facing slopes and bene?t from ideal exposures. All grapes are harvested by hand and at optimal ripeness. With steadfast attention to detail, Domaine Roux combines valuable traditions with the most advanced technology to produce a vast portfolio of terroir-driven, varietally correct expressions of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir renowned for superior quality. Roux Pere & Fils has evolved into one of the most important producers in Cote d’Or (Burgundy). Nested in the heart of Burgundy with 160 acres of vines, the vineyards cover the key villages. Tradition, know-how and family spirit describe this winery best, with 9 Roux members involved in the 100% family business today.
This modern and forward-looking company sees its wines exported extensively to major wine markets throughout the world. Today, Domaine Roux is one of major land-holders in Burgundy, putting this label in a unique position to control production and quality from the very beginning of the production cycle. The vineyards of Domaine Roux include many of the region’s most respected villages including holding in St-Aubin, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay, Meursault, Vougeot, Gevrey-Chambertin, etc.
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.