Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Notions of citrus oil, chamomile, bee pollen and freshly baked bread preface Lamy's 2011 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Derriere Chez Edouard Haute Densite, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered wine that's fleshy and enveloping, with chalky grip and a saline finish. This stands out as one of the more open, early-maturing vintages in the series, and even if it will never hit the same heights as the great vintages, it has the advantage of being approachable sooner. Best After 2020
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 classic source of exceptional Chardonnay as well as Pinot Noir, the Côte de Beaune makes up the southern half of the Côte d’Or. Its principal wine-producing villages are Pernand-Vergelesses, Aloxe-Corton, Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.
The area is named for its own important town of Beaune, which is essentially the center of the Burgundy wine business and where many negociants center their work. Hospices de Beaune, the annual wine auction, is based here as well.