Winemaker Notes
An outstanding wine. Pale yellow color. Complex floral nose of white lilac and white rose. Once open, fruity aromas come to the fore, evolving towards grilled hazelnut and almond. When the wine is more mature, the nose is surprisingly strong and fifteen minutes of aeration produce wonderful notes of white truffle, citron, honey and nutmeg, elegantly meshed together. Very lively on the palate. Its rich texture is in evidence, but also its structure and minerality. It is round, but never heavy. Harmonious fullness in the aftertaste
This wine is best served chilled alongside fish or any other white meat in sauce.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A real Clos des Mouches' is how Véronique Drouhin describes this textbook expression of one of Beaune's two best white Premiers Crus. Every bit as good as some more famous Grands Crus, it's floral and enticing, with aromas of hawthorn blossom and lilies, flavours of patisserie and orange zest, fine, scented, toasty oak and the structure and acidity to age. Just shades it over the red Clos des Mouches in 2018.
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James Suckling
A beautiful white with sliced-mango, cooked-apple and lemon-curd aromas and flavors. Full-bodied with lots of fruit and intensity. Some tropical fruit at the end. White peaches, too. Delicious already.
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Wine Spectator
Distinctive aromas and flavors of white flowers, honey and peaches are wrapped in an embrace of sweet spices. This borders on creamy in texture and extends with an aftertaste of fruit, spice and toasty oak. Drink now through 2025.
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.
While the city represents the epicenter of wine production in Burgundy, the term, “Beaune” also refers to the specific sub-appellation of the greater Côte de Beaune, whose vineyards climb up the pastoral slopes that border the city to its west. Originally founded as a Roman camp by Julius Caesar, the city of Beaune eventually became the seat of the dukes of Burgundy until the 13th century. Today it is home to top négociants such as Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Latour, and Bouchard Père et Fils.
The appellation, dominated by Pinot Noir plantings, represents a lovely and charming place to begin to understand red Burgundy. Its sandy soils create light and supple, floral driven Pinot Noir. These wines are designed to be enjoyed within five to 10 years. The vineyards of Beaune span a broad swath of Premier Crus from Savigny-lès-Beaune to its border with Pommard.
Chardonnay acreage here has been increasing here in the more recent years.