Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Boasts aromas of greengage plums and lemon zest, with a blast of limestone minerality and a hint of smoky reduction. Clément says that one third of the 0.17ha parcel at the top of the slope was replanted but that his great-grandfather planted the balance in the 1960s. The texture has great energy and a lovely, silky feel. According to Clément: '[our Caillerets] ages very well, even better than the Bâtard, since the minerality keeps the wine very awake.
Barrel Sample: 95 -
Jasper Morris
Slightly more colour (yellow rather than green) than Caroline Morey’s version, though they were picked at the same time and made in the same way, and seems a little fuller. The stones are still present, along with white flesh and grapefruit. More robust, less fine maybe? His comes just from the upper part though. A touch of bacon to finish. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Oct 2024.
Barrel Sample: 92-95 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets is terrific, unwinding in the glass with notes of waxy citrus rind, white flowers, freshly baked bread and vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and fleshy, with a rich core of fruit, lively acids and a long, nutty finish, it's one of the highlights of the range.
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Vinous
The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru has another mineral-driven bouquet with hints of pressed white flower, granite and flint. The fruit remains politely in the background…but it's there. The palate is very well balanced with a richer and more honeyed texture. This is a more hedonistic Chassagne from PYCM compared to other cuvées, with pineapple and passion fruit notes lining the finish. It's a little Bâtard-like in style, but will require time to fulfill its potential.
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.