Montrachet, a name synonymous with fine wine and one that demands some of the highest prices around the world
This name belongs to a tiny Grand Cru vineyard in the south of Burgundy's Cote de Beaune
Sub-region, which straddles a hill between the villages of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet
Le Montrachet sits in the heart of the hill surrounded by four other Grand Crus that also bear the Montrachet title as a suffix
These are Chevalier-Montrachet
Batard-Montrachet
Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet and Criots-Batard-Montrachet.
So, why is it the Grand Crus generally find in the centre of the slope? If you look at a topographical map of
Cote- you find this tenderloin that runs at the same elevation along the slope
pretty much along the whole length and that's where the greatest vineyards are and it's a matter of finding the perfect balance between
limestone and
Clay. Every time it rains for millennia
Clay has been driven down the hill by rain at the top of the hill, you're in pure limestone
Your wines are gonna be linear, they're gonna be very focused. When you're at the very bottom of the hill and you're in heavy rich
soils your wines are gonna be fat and plump and dense and sometimes
ongoing towards the blousy, but when you're in the middle, you have the perfect balance of richness and focus
So the wine has power, it has density,
It has concentration and yet it just soars across the palate because it has that focus from the limestone.
Exactly when the Montrachet vineyards were first planted is unclear. However, we do know that it dates back at least 500 years
The plot has been divided up over the years exchanging hands between different families and wine producers.
Today, ownership over the 8 hectares is split between
16 different producers with a single hectare holding a market value of over 50 million euros
So, Le Montrachet is considered the best Chardonnay in the world. Why is that? It goes back to your question about
placement on the hill and being in the tenderloin
If you go visit Le Montrachet, you see that just above Le Montrachet is the Chevalier-Montrachet,
just below it is the Batard-Montrachet. By the way, Montrachet means, the Bald Hill and
What makes it bald is there are no trees
growing over it. So,
The Batard-Montrachet has rich
soils with lots of clay and and it makes wines that are powerful and
masculine and broad-shouldered and rich dense
The Chevalier which is above Le Montrachet
in predominantly limestone soils makes crystallized wines, makes crystalline wines makes
wines of focus and delineation and elegance and in-between
Lies this narrow patch of earth
called Le Montrachet. It brings together both the elegance and the linear
Qualities of the Chevalier with the richness and the power of the Betard, together into one place now
Le Montrachet is divided in two parts and the untrained eye has trouble figuring out which is which one is
the piece of Le Montrachet that lies within the commune of
Puligny-Montrachet and the other is the piece of the Montrachet that lies in the commune of Chassagne-Montrachet and there's no dividing line
However, the difference is the piece that lies in the
Puligny side
has an
east facing slope
whereas the piece
lying on the Chassange side has a South
By southeast facing slope which provides it with with a little bit better
sunlight and
The Chassange side is entitled to the name Le Montrachet
The Montrachet
whereas the Puligny side only bears the name Montrachet. Little insider's info on that one.
A single bottle of Montrachet wine can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand pounds making it the most expensive
White wine in the world as well as one of the most sought-after
Just one kilogram of grapes from Le Montrachet costs in the region of two hundred euros
So what does it taste like? It's so expensive no one knows what it tastes like except billionaires. No, it's the world's most expensive
dry white and has been for over a century now though the French have a word which I love when when
Describing certain wines, which is 'Aerien' which means that it's it's almost ethereal right? There's a minerality
This is that is very ethereal. There's also an earthiness there are spices like nutmeg and things like that
you find as well and and it's a wine of extraordinary length. In the world of wine, a lot of people get off on
ageing wine. Ageing wine is only useful if the wine evolves in a positive way
One of the great advantages of Montrachet is that it actually evolves and it involves in a positive way
The flavours it gives you in its youth
change what can be pear what can be white flowers turn into almost a
core of minerals and
herbs and
That is extraordinary
Though many will never get the opportunity to taste the Montrachet wine
It's not impossible to get an idea of what it might taste like by trying wines from the surrounding villages
Look out for the names of Chassange-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet, as well as Saint-Aubin and Meursault.
Montrachet is undoubtedly
One of the most famous names in the world of fine wine something which is unlikely to change for many years to come