Chassagne-Montrachet Les Blanchots Dessous

The intimate Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay is located in the illustrious village of Chassagne, in the southern Côte de Beaune. The estate is owned by Phillippe Duvernay and his partner Laura Coffinet who set out on their winemaking venture with just seven vineyards, including the Grand Cru Batard Montrachet. The estate encompasses seven hectares across the appellation in total, four of which are dedicated to its outstanding white wine, in particular Chassagne Chardonnay, and three are dedicated to red. This specialist estate produces beautifully crafted wines that capture the intense aromas and flavor of their distinguished terroir like few other boutique wineries in the region. Capable of aging for decades, these impeccable wines have never been available in the United States before now.

The Les Blanchot Dessus lies adjacent to and just south of the great Grand Cru Le Montrachet itself. This noble Premiere Cru vineyard site sits slightly lower on the hillside than the Grands Crus. A blend of rocky limestones atop mineral rich clay soils and a limestone bedrock make it a perfect terroir for producing profound Chardonnay. Grapes are hand-harvested at optimum ripeness in small bins, and carried to the winery for a gentle pressing 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 fermentation, as Philippe Duvernay prefers to allow the wine to develop without any oxidative notes. The wine is aged 15 months in 1/3 new oak barrels.

The Les Blanchots Dessus shows many of the profound qualities that make for great Montrachet. Honey, herbal notes such as mint or thyme, a concentration of apple, pear, and tropical fruits, and an earthy component of truffle or mushroom make this wine concentrated, rich and intense, yet elegant. Serve slightly chilled. Delightful with chicken or gamebirds such as pheasant. It is a superb complement to mushroom sauces, and works well with Coq au Vin. It is also a wonderful accompaniment to powerful cheeses, such as Burgundy’s famous Epoisses.