Today’s wine is from a top Premier Cru in Chassagne-Montrachet. The celebrated appellation has two sweet spots. The more famous of the two is home to the Grand Cru vineyards that border Puligny-Montrachet; the other lies toward the southern end of the village’s mid-slope where today’s Premier Cru, Les Fairendes, is found. In the northernmost, highest elevation portion of the greater Morgeot Vineyard, Les Fairendes boasts immense limestone and thin topsoil, which lends to stunning and compact minerality combined with high-toned acidity to stand the test of time.

 

This Domaine Henri Germain was founded in 1973. Although he descended from the well-known family behind Château de Chorey-les Beaune, he wanted to pave his own career path. Over the decades, Henri has shied away from the spotlight, but the bright light emanating from his magnificent wines simply cannot be contained. A true winemakers’ producer, the  Domaine Henri Germain is loved and admired by many of his peers in Burgundy. Henri has continued to craft in small quantities, roughly 30,000 bottles a year, with larger-than-life quality. Today, his son, Jean-François runs the domaine, which is housed in an innocuous building in Meursault.

 

Jean-François continues his father’s tradition of farming organically, plowing the soils of their vineyards and maintaining low yields. Although they do produce lovely red wines, their production is largely dedicated to white (75%). Winemaking is traditional and practiced with as little interference, letting nature taking its course, if possible. They opt to eschew enzymes as well as bâtonnage and native yeasts are relied on for fermentation. The result is a wine that boasts fine, elegant lees, concentrated minerality, pure fruit and that allusive classic aromatic profile nearly impossible to achieve outside of this pocket in Burgundy. Jean-François avoids racking the wines altogether and ages this particular wine for 22 months in 20-30% new French oak and bottles his wines without fining or filtration.

 

The 2013 Les Fairendes displays a light golden straw core with green reflections on the rim. Aromas are simultaneously powerful and fresh with creamy notes of yellow apple, white peach, bosc pear, a hint of dried pineapple, acacia, hawthorn and honeysuckle over stirred lees, wet stone and just the perfect kiss of light baking spices. The palate is medium plus in weight and weaves together concentration, texture, minerality and precise acidity, which culminates in a resounding finish. This wine is truly phenomenal in its youth and I recommend that you enjoy a bottle before you lay the remaining bottles to rest in your cellar. This wine will undoubtedly hit a sweet spot in another 3-4 years, but its magnificent peak should fall around its 7th to 10th birthday – or even longer if kept properly. It has been said Henri Germain’s white age forever without falling apart. Decant this wine for thirty minutes to an hour and serve at 55-60 degrees in Burgundy stems. Temperature is key, please do not serve too cold or the wine will be closed. For a perfect marriage of flavors, serve this beauty with classic roast chicken stuffed with wild mushrooms.