Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet
Grand Cru
The Essence of a Legend...there are places in Burgundy where Chardonnay reaches a state of grace.
Origin
The smallest of the white Grands Crus of the Côte de Beaune, covering just 1.57 hectares on the upper slopes of Chassagne-Montrachet. At an altitude of 240m, it lies a little lower than its neighbors Chevalier-Montrachet and Montrachet. The soils of this well-exposed parcel are composed of scree and are relatively well drained. “Criots” comes from “craie”, and the subsoil is composed of Bathonian limestone, sometimes mixed with clay.
Legend has it that at the time of the Crusades, there was a castle on the Montrachet hill. The lord sent his only son to the Holy Land to fight. The man had a young mistress whom he met at the “Clos de la Pucelle”. She had a child. The son who went on the Crusade was named Chevalier-Montrachet, and the illegitimate child, Bâtard-Montrachet. On hearing of Chevalier Montrachet's death in the Holy Land, the lord took his illegitimate son as his successor, who was acclaimed: "Welcome to Bâtard Montrachet! Legend has it that the châtelain, disturbed by his young son's crying, cried out in Burgundian dialect “a crio (il crie) l'Bâtard”, giving rise to the name Criots-Bâtard. Thus were born the legendary names of several Puligny-Montrachet Grands Crus, today symbols of the excellence of Burgundy's white wines.
Viticulture
Grape variety: chardonnay
Soils: brown clay-limestone
Orientation: South/East
Surface area under vine: 0.05 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 45 hL/ha
Average age of the vine: about fifty years with permanent grassing.
