Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Dent De Chien

The life partnership of Laura Coffinet and Philippe Duvernay began like myriad other unions in Burgundy—two, generations-old winemaking families woven around a small, exceptional parcel of handed-down vines. Similar beginnings aside, Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay (est. 1989) have managed to stand apart from their neighbors in that their vineyard holdings reside in illustrious village of Chassagne, in the southern Côte de Beaune. Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay farms just seven vineyards in Chassagne, including the famed Grand Cru Bâtard-Montrachet. The estate encompasses seven hectares across the appellation in total, four of which are dedicated to its outstanding white wines, in particular Chassagne-Montrachet, and three hectares dedicated to red wines. This specialist estate produces beautifully crafted wines that capture the intense aromas and flavor of their distinguished terroir and which are capable of ageing for decades. Bastien, the couple’s son, has been working in the winery since 2012—the next generation to carry the torch for this unique property.

The 1er Cru Dent de Chien lies above the Grands Crus of Chassagne at the upper edge of the slope, as the hill of Mont Rachet turns toward St. Aubin. Limestone rocks litter a light soil over a limestone bedrock, making the vineyard well known for its mineral qualities.

Grapes are hand-harvested at optimum ripeness in small bins, and carried to the winery for a gentle p ressing in the pneumatic bladder press. The must is allowed to settle for 24 hours (debourbage) to allow the gross lees to settle out, and the wine descends by gravity into small oak barriques for primary and malolactic fermentations. The must is stirred (batonnage) very rarely during malolactic, as Philippe Duvernay prefers to allow the wine to develop without any oxidative notes. The wine is aged 15 months in oak barrels (approximately 1/3 new each year.)

The Coffinet-Duvernay 1er Cru Dent de Chien is crisp, taut, and lively with minerality. Behind scents of wet stones and white flowers is an element of pear and apple fruit, but dominated by the stony focus and intensity of its rocky soils.