Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jasper Morris
Ex Jean-Pierre Cornut. An even clear colour. Some nobility to the nose though the style tames the luxury you might find elsewhere, at least on the nose. Builds well on the palate, juicy fruit with a fine backbone and impeccable length. Picked on 30th August and delivers really well. Drink from 2028-2038. Tasted Oct 2024.
Barrel Sample: 93-96 -
Decanter
A marvellous wine with a thrilling, lemony tension on the initial attack, but a bit more breadth and depth in time as it opens up. The grapes are purchased from a 0.3ha parcel, but the PYCM team has full control over the grape-growing and picking, so this is crafted in the domaine's racy and elegant style. Cellar this for three to five years at least before opening, and then enjoy over the next 20.
Barrel Sample: 94 -
Vinous
The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Grandes Ruchottes 1er Cru has quite a bit of reduction on the nose, but there is real power in situ. The palate is well balanced with impressive depth, leaning more toward Puligny in style thanks to its more malic finish. This has fine tension but is a bit "aloof" at the moment. Give it time.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Grandes Ruchottes is from sourced grapes and offers up aromas of pear and orange oil mingled with notes of hazelnuts, white flowers and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless, it's charming and layered, with succulent acids and a saline finish.
Barrel Sample: 91-93
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.