A rocky hillside conceals in its subsoil enough to make the world's greatest dry white wine.

Appellation Montrachet

Stendhal was astonished that this "dry, ugly little mountain could produce such a great wine", which goes to show that in Burgundy, the clothes don't make the man. Indeed, it's a very Burgundian paradox that a rocky hillside conceals in its subsoil enough to make the world's greatest dry white wine.

Montrachet: Burgundy's southernmost Grand Cru

On Beaune’s southern slopes, two villages, Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet, share Montrachet. It owes its name to its appearance; in the Middle Ages, it was referred to as mont rachet, or mont rachaz, meaning a bald, peeled mountain where only thorny and boxwood vegetation grows. In summer, this stony, south-southeast-facing vineyard is a veritable furnace. Nevertheless, the Cistercian monks of the Abbey of Maizière and the Lords of Chagny were quick to understand the full potential of this unrivalled terroir.The hillsides of this Climat, where a vein of reddish-brown earth outcrops, are such a treasure that it’s customary to scrape off one’s clogs or shoes, depending on the era, when one has worked in Le Montrachet.

Tasting Montrachet on your knees with your head uncovered

If Stendhal was a bit critical, this was not the case with Alexandre Dumas, whose loquaciousness urged the taster to honor Montrachet by tasting it “on his knees and with his head uncovered”. On the nose, its bouquet is reminiscent of butter, hot croissant, fern and honey, a virtuoso wine that is both unctuous and firm, and achieves a tour de force of perfect harmony. At the table, this grand seigneur of Burgundy goes well with noble dishes: monkfish, the fine meat of poularde, but also caviar, lobster…in all simplicity!

Bottle Wine Romanee Conti Chevalier Montrachet

Did you know?

Montrachet spreads its vines over precisely 7.99 hectares, is shared between 18 owners and produces 50,000 bottles a year. It is the eldest of 4 grands crus surrounding it: Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet.