Chassagne-Montrachet
1er Cru Les Chenevottes 2020
Flooded with sunshine from sunrise to sunset, the Chassagne-Montrachet vineyard is one of the most beautiful assets
and one of the most beautiful appellations of the Côte Viticole.
Origin
In the southern part of the Côte de Beaune Chassagne-Montrachet shares with Puligny the incontested title of the prince of the world’s dry white wines – the divine Montrachet. This fine, broad hillside brings out the very highest expression of the two Burgundian grapes - the Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay, which grow here side-by side - such is the complexity of the district's « terroirs » !
Extensive marble quarries, which form a kind of cliff face, were the source of the pink and beige flagstones which went into the building of the Trocadero in Paris and more recently the Louvre Pyramid.
The 1er cru Les Chenevottes is located near the prestigious Montrachet. This climate must have been a chenevière at the time it was named. It was a field where hemp was grown.
Viticulture
Grape variety: chardonnay
Soils: deep, brown limestones.
Orientation: East
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 50 hL/ha
Average age of the vine: 36 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 28 August 2020.
The grapes were handpicked.
At the winery: The whole bunches of grapes were gently pressed for 2½ hours. The temperature of the must was brought down to 12°C then was immediately transferred to 450L-barrel (demi muid) with no settling to preserve a maximum of lees. Long fermentation using indigenous yeasts for added complexity and freshness.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 12 months with no racking or stirring to bring out all of this wine’s minerality. 50% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: Oak of French origin toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a subtle, delicate touch of oak were used.
Bottling
Bottling: The wine was not fined but was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in September 2021.
Number of bottles: 906.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes.
'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: From 7 to 12 years.
Awards
JamesSuckling.com - 95/100
Bourgogne Aujourd'hui Magazine - 14,5 / 20
Tasting notes
With a nice bright golden color, this wine reveals intense aromas of yellow fruits, like apricot, accompanied by subtle woody notes and fresh honey. On the palate, the wine is silky and a little fat. It is supported by a nice acidulous frame.
