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Burgundy Insights from the Winehog

Montrachet – the vineyard articles

Montrachet – between Puligny and Chassagne

The Montrachet vineyard is equally divided between Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet – it’s the home and origin of the greatest white wine made.

Montrachet

  • The creation of Bienvenues
    While Burgundy is a very old, historic area, not all is what it seems regarding its wines and appellations. The Montrachet area – with Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, and the more recent Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet – was actually formalized in the period 1920-1939 when the appellations were all settled and fixed. That is quite recent …. on ...
  • Montrachet – the historic evidence and the expansion in 1921
    If one look at the old sources the area and borders of the Montrachet vineyard were not very clear and well defined, and it was not until 1921 Montrachet found it’s current size and borders. The current size of Montrachet is 7.998 ha divided almost equally between Chassagne-Montrachet (3.9873 ha) and (4.0107 ha) in the Puligny-Montrachet ...

Chevalier-Montrachet

  • Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles and the 1861 classification
    dateOne rarely see plots, sections or vineyards promoted to Grand Cru in Burgundy – the classification is very stable although some changes have been seen over the years. La Grande Rue was promoted to Grand Cru in 1992 and Clos des Lambrays was promoted to Grand Cru in 1981. In 1929 a part of Chambolle Musigny ...
  • Les Demoiselles – Puligny 1er cru and part of Chevalier-Montrachet
    The vineyards in Burgundy are numerous, and some are not even included in detailed maps over Burgundy. One of these vineyards is Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru Les Demoiselles. I tried to find the location on my trusted standard map – the Atlas Vins app for iPad – made by the Sylvain Pitiot and Pierre Poupon – but ...

Batard-Montrachet

  • The creation of Bienvenues
    While Burgundy is a very old, historic area, not all is what it seems regarding its wines and appellations. The Montrachet area – with Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, and the more recent Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet – was actually formalized in the period 1920-1939 when the appellations were all settled and fixed. That is quite recent …. on ...

Bienvenue-Batard-Montrachet

  • The creation of Bienvenues
    While Burgundy is a very old, historic area, not all is what it seems regarding its wines and appellations. The Montrachet area – with Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, and the more recent Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet – was actually formalized in the period 1920-1939 when the appellations were all settled and fixed. That is quite recent …. on ...

Puligny-Montrachet vineyard articles

  • Vineyard Profile: Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain
    Tastings are my inspiration, and my lust for exploring vineyards is often fuelled by these delightful experiences. Sometimes, they are relatively unknown terroirs, but most often, they have just been forgotten … To say that Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain is overlooked is perhaps what I would call a journalistic exaggeration. There are many great wines in the Puligny ...
  • Vineyard Insight: Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret
    One of the best 1ers crus in Puligny-Montrachet is Le Cailleret, which neighbours both Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet – or does it? Jean-Michel Chartron at the corner of Demoiselles It’s a unique cru. Previously a place to make red Puligny, it is today a complex collection of plots with part – actually two parts – now included in ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Thomas-Collardot Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères
    Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères is a vineyard producing many different wines, from the elusive and expensive Domaine d’Auvenay to some very small, interesting cuvees from new and exciting producers. One of my favourite wines from the Enseignères vineyard comes from Domaine Thomas-Collardot. About the Thomas-Collardot estate Jacqueline Collardot is the owner and winemaker of this 2.5-hectare estate located ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine d’Auvenay Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères
    Beyond elusive; not even in my dreams. While the red grands crus from Domaine Leroy and Domaine d’Auvenay are both very rare and very costly, the whites are even further away from the Winehog’s snout. The Chevalier-Montrachet and Batard-Montrachet are each in a league of their own, and that’s before mentioning Criots-Batard-Montrachet. Even the rare village wines ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Morey-Coffinet Les Pucelles
    More Puligny refinement: It is not the biggest and not the greatest, but perhaps it is the most refined, delicate, and hedonistic of the Puligny 1ers crus – the filigreed and poetic Les Pucelles. Looking at plots in Pucelles, we find Domaine Morey-Coffinet with a parcel just next to Domaine Chartron’s clos. Thibault Morey Let’s walk to the ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Chartron Clos de la Pucelle
    Not the biggest and not the greatest, but perhaps the most refined, delicate, and hedonistic of the Puligny 1ers crus. I am of course talking about the expressive, filigreed and poetic Les Pucelles. In Pucelles there is a clos, which is strangely not very well known to many collectors, despite the fact that it actually ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Morey-Coffinet Bâtard-Montrachet
    Thibault Morey has vineyards that surround Montrachet, and while he don’t have a plot in the mightiest white grand cru of them all, he has many top-level appellations in his portfolio. Thibault has two – no, three – plots located very close to the promised land. One is Chassagne-Montrachet Les Blanchots Dessus, just a few ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Faiveley Batard-Montrachet
    Domaine Faiveley seems to have gotten quite a “bargain” in acquiring the Jean-Pierre Monnot estate in 2008. It added to its already impressive roster of vineyards a strong presence in Puligny-Montrachet – including village Puligny and the 1ers crus Les Referts, Champ Gain, and La Garenne. Even more prominently, important plots in grands crus Batard-Montrachet and ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Chartron Clos du Cailleret
    One of the best 1ers crus in Puligny-Montrachet is Le Cailleret, which neighbours both Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet – or does it? Jean-Michel Chartron at the corner of Demoiselles It’s a unique cru. Previously a place to make red Puligny, it is today a complex collection of plots with part – actually two parts – now included in ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Faiveley Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet
    Domaine Faiveley has over the last ten years assembled an important holding of white Burgundy vineyards, mainly with a new stronghold in Puligny-Montrachet which includes village Puligny and the 1ers crus Les Referts, Champ Gain, and La Garenne. Even more notably, it now has relatively prominent plots in grands crus Batard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet supplementing its ...
  • Terroir Insight: Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet
    The Bouchard ownership on the Montrachet hill is mindboggling, with three vineyards in a row climbing up the hill: Montrachet, then Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte, and finally “regular” Chevalier-Montrachet. Map from Bouchard Pere et Fils It’s one of the most beautiful collections of vineyards in the Côte de Beaune. The Montrachet holding is 0.8894 ha ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet
    One of Burgundy’s legendary white wines is Domaine Leflaive’s Chevalier-Montrachet. While it’s not Montrachet, it is for many the domaine’s top wine – as the Montrachet is elusively rare. Domaine Leflaive is the second-largest owner of Chevalier-Montrachet (Bouchard Pere et Fils is the largest) and it has several beautifully located plots in the vineyard. Let’s go to ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
    Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet is a special vineyard producing an intriguing wine that occasionally can give Bâtard-Montrachet a run for its money. Yet often it frustrates our high expectations. This is, however, not the case with Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard. Almost every time I’ve tasted the wine it delights my palate with hedonistic joy. This is a top wine almost ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet
    Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet is a special vineyard producing an intriguing wine that on occasion can give Batard-Montrachet a run for its money. Yet often it frustrates your expectations, and you would have preferred a bottle of Chevalier-Montrachet or a more predictable Batard. Pierre Vincent – Domaine Leflaive March 2017 So what is it with Bienvenues-Batard? Let’s find out. The nature ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon
    I have old, fond memories of Domaine Leflaive, and have for many years treasured the Leflaive style. While Leflaive has what one could call the “full monty” of Puligny-Montrachet’s great wines, one vineyard is a bit overlooked: Clavoillon. This is for me, however, a wine with extraordinary emotional qualities that offers delightful hedonism. In plain English: It ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet
    One of Burgundy’s legendary white wines is Domaine Leflaive’s Chevalier-Montrachet. While it’s not Montrachet, it is for many the domaine’s top wine – as the Montrachet is elusively rare. Domaine Leflaive is the second-largest owner of Chevalier-Montrachet (Bouchard Pere et Fils is the largest) and it has several beautifully located plots in the vineyard. Let’s go to ...
  • Puligny Les Enseignères: Just below the grands crus
    Puligny Montrachet Les Enseignères caught my attention back in the mid-1990s when Coche-Dury acquired a piece of this now-illustrious village vineyard. Les Enseignères is, for non-collectors, a relatively unknown vineyard, located just below Bienvenue-Batard-Montrachet. While producing tremendous wines, it is perhaps somewhat over the top to claim that this vineyard is near grand cru quality-wise. It ...
  • Terroir Insight: Domaine d’Auvenay, Chevalier-Montrachet
    Beyond elusive … not even in my dreams. The red grand crus of Domaine Leroy and Domaine d’Auvenay are both very rare and very costly – but the whites are even further away from the snout of the Winehog. Both the Chevalier-Montrachet and the Batard Montrachet are in what I would call in a league of ...
  • Red Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles ? or a red Les Caillerets?
    Some of the famours and best terroirs producing our beloved white Burgundies have actually produced red wines if one goes some decades or a century back. Gradually the production of red wines in the Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet appellations have been reduced, as Pinot Noir vines have been replaced by Chardonnay. Some of this development was perhaps initiated ...
  • Montrachet – the historic evidence and the expansion in 1921
    If one look at the old sources the area and borders of the Montrachet vineyard were not very clear and well defined, and it was not until 1921 Montrachet found it’s current size and borders. The current size of Montrachet is 7.998 ha divided almost equally between Chassagne-Montrachet (3.9873 ha) and (4.0107 ha) in the Puligny-Montrachet ...
  • Terroir Insight: Bouchard Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte
    One of the iconic wines from the extraordinary vineyard Chevalier-Montrachet vineyard is La Cabotte made by Maison Bouchard Pere et Fils. Bouchard makes two wines on Chevalier-Montrachet a “regular” cuvee and then the special cuvee called La Cabotte .. from a plot just above the Montrachet holdings of Bouchard. A special wine indeed and one of the ...
  • Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles and the 1861 classification
    dateOne rarely see plots, sections or vineyards promoted to Grand Cru in Burgundy – the classification is very stable although some changes have been seen over the years. La Grande Rue was promoted to Grand Cru in 1992 and Clos des Lambrays was promoted to Grand Cru in 1981. In 1929 a part of Chambolle Musigny ...
  • Les Demoiselles – Puligny 1er cru and part of Chevalier-Montrachet
    The vineyards in Burgundy are numerous, and some are not even included in detailed maps over Burgundy. One of these vineyards is Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru Les Demoiselles. I tried to find the location on my trusted standard map – the Atlas Vins app for iPad – made by the Sylvain Pitiot and Pierre Poupon – but ...