Chassagne-Montrachet

In the southern Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet shares two white Grands Crus with Puligny-Montrachet, Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet, and holds the whole of the small Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet, about 1.6 hectares. In the late nineteenth century the commune of Chassagne added to its name that of its most famous cru.

The appellation, created in 1937, also includes some vines in neighboring Remigny, just over the departmental line in Saône-et-Loire. The vineyard climbs from 220 to 325 meters along a southeast-facing slope, split in two by a broad valley that is almost always dry. A quarry overlooking the village yields Chassagne stone, a compact pinkish or beige limestone that, according to the BIVB, has also been used in slabs for the Trocadéro and the Louvre Pyramid. The soils are thin and stony higher up, more clayey and deeper toward the plain.

Chardonnay prevails: in 2022 whites accounted for about 223 of the 309 hectares in production, and the north of the commune, toward Puligny, is given over mainly to them. They are full-bodied wines, with aromas of almond, honey, and white flowers and an acidity that carries them through aging. Pinot Noir yields deeply colored, tannic reds with notes of cherry; as early as 1816 André Jullien ranked those of the clos de Morgeot, the Maltroie, and the Clos Saint-Jean among the commune's best.

A first list of Premier Cru climats was recognized in 1943; today there are 55, and some names, such as Morgeot or Clos Saint-Jean, group together several neighboring lieux-dits. The available bottles are listed below.