White Burgundy Grand Cru
White grands crus of Burgundy: Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne and Chablis Grand Cru.
What defines a white grand cru
A grand cru is a single vineyard classified at the top of the Burgundy hierarchy, labelled with the vineyard name alone. The white grands crus are Chardonnay and fall into three groups: the Montrachet family on the boundary of Puligny and Chassagne, Corton-Charlemagne on the hill of Corton, and the seven climats of Chablis Grand Cru on the slope above the Serein.
The vineyards we hold
Montrachet is the reference of the group, with depth, concentration and length. Chevalier-Montrachet, just above it on thinner, stonier soil, is finer and more mineral. Bâtard-Montrachet, below, on deeper soil, is the richest and broadest; Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, a small enclave within it, is a little more delicate. Corton-Charlemagne is firm and mineral, slower to open. Chablis Grand Cru, from Kimmeridgian limestone, is the most taut, with oyster-shell salinity rather than richness.
How to choose and when to open
Choose the vineyard for style and the grower for interpretation: we hold Bâtard-Montrachet from Bachelet-Ramonet, Marc Colin, Marc Morey, Pernot-Belicard, Château de la Maltroye and Alex Moreau, which makes a side-by-side reading possible. Our cellar notes give 10 to 25 years for most of these wines. Serve between 12 and 14 °C, never colder, after a short time in a decanter when young. They suit lobster, turbot, poultry with morels and aged Comté.
The growers we hold
Marc Colin, Maison Louis Jadot and Bouchard Père & Fils in Montrachet; Philippe Colin, Domaine de Montille, Ballot-Millot and the Héritiers Louis Jadot in Chevalier-Montrachet; Bachelet-Ramonet in Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet; Domaine Bertagna, Julien Gros and Alex Moreau in Corton-Charlemagne; Louis Michel, Domaine William Fèvre and Roland Lavantureux in Chablis. Quantities are small and often single-bottle.