Chassagne-Montrachet

54 Premier Cru’s and 47 Lieux Dits

Making both exceptional red and white wines. Roughly 1/4 of the Premier Cru plantings are red.

Reds:

The reds of Chassagne tend to be reminiscent of Chambolle, with lovely fine long tannins, subtlety and perfume. Look out for the red Premier Cru’s Clos St-Jean, the monopole La Cardeusse owned by Domaine Bernard-Moreau, Morgeot and La Boudriotte. With the exception of Clos St-jean these are in the more Southern part of the village bordering Santenay. Advances in front end processing (desteming and not often crushing, whole bunch use) and increased use of gentle tannin extraction process have seen the mouthfeel of reds from the region become increasingly sophisticated.

The red Village Chassagne wines are well worth trying and offer excellent value.

Whites:

The whites of Chassagne can have a greater opulence and perceived richness than those of Saint Aubin and Puligny. In reality like all generalisations in wine this generalisation on style should be taken with a grain of salt. This is so much more about the specific vineyard, the winemaker and what’s in the glass. Add to this changes in climate, viticulture and winemaking over the last few decades which have seen growers increasing ability to retain natural acidity and achieve flavour ripeness at lower alcohols and we’re seeing a full range of styles from taught and mineral to rich and bold.

There are so many wonderful whites, obviously, the Grand Cru’s, also the Premier Cru’s Grandes Ruchottes (often thought of as near Grand Cru by the locals), La Romanée, and, I’ve always had a soft spot for Les Chenevottes.