Winemaker Notes
Bright, pale gold. The nose is bursting with notes of fresh fruit, white peach and citrus with a delicate touch of fresh hazelnut. The palate is lively, full, and balanced. Long and refreshing, this is a superb Burgundy. Situated in the commune of St. Aubin, this single monopole vineyard lies on a south-south-west facing hillside, very near the Chateau's plot "En Vesvau". This predominantly limestone area consists of light clay and sand on top of a limestone fault; the Chardonnay benefits from perfect drainage conditions, resulting in the production of elegant white wines. Most of the fruit was hand harvested. The wine was aged on its lees (30% in oak barrels and 70% in oak casks) before being bottled.
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.
The most acclaimed region of Burgundy, the Côte d’Or is defined by a long, limestone escarpment beneath the ground's surface and is home to all of Burgundy’s most famous wines. While Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are produced throughout the Côte d’Or, the north tends to excel at Pinot Noir and the south, at Chardonnay.
The northern half of the Côte d’Or is called the Côte de Nuits. Here reside most of the Pinot noir Grands Crus vineyards of Burgundy—the only one farther south, in Côte de Beaune, is Aloxe-Corton.
The Côte de Beaune is the center all of the Chardonnay Grands Crus with the exception of Le Musingy, found in Chambolle-Musigny in the Côte de Nuits, which produces both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with Grand Cru status.