Domaine Rocault is situated right in the heart of Saint-Romain, west of Auxey-Duresses and nestled in a mountainous amphitheater of limestone cliffs. Savvy Burgundy-hunters know that being ‘off-the-beaten-path’ is a very good thing for Saint-Romain, where you can still find fine-tuned, mineral Chardonnays that wildly outperform their price bracket. Lucien is the 18th (!) generation of his family to make wine in the Côte de Beaune, and since his three children are growing up chasing each other through the vineyards with their hands full of grapes, chances are he won’t be the last. He and wife Fanny (who comes from an old winemaking family in Nuits-Saint-Georges) tend to their property with the intent of preparing it for the next 18 generations. They’ve farmed organically since 2009, and choose the most natural élevage (aging) possible to the terroir can be expressed with real transparency. 

Lucien acquired his parcel in “Sous Roche” in 2013. It was essentially priceless: 50-year-old Chardonnay vines that had been meticulously farmed—and Certified Organic by Ecocert—by the previous owners. The vines were producing a startlingly high quality of fruit and the only improvements the Rocaults could offer were in the details: plowing by horse; increasing the cover crop and aeration of the soil; and spending as much time in the vineyard as possible to learn the secrets of this particular lieu-dit. “Sous Roche” is at 300 meters altitude and faces southwest, catching a little morning dew but warmed by the afternoon sun. The soils are white limestone and marl, a good foundation for extraordinary Chardonnay. The Rocaults hand harvest, and the wine is pressed, cold settled, and barreled in 500-liter casks within 72 hours. Fermentation happens in oak with indigenous yeast strains—a traditional but pretty unnerving way to make wine, since it takes a lot of skill and willingness to take risks. Malolactic fermentation happens in the Spring as the cellar warms naturally. The wine spends a total of 12 months in large-format French oak barrels before being bottled. 

And...wow. Rocault really knows how to squeeze a metric ton of terroir into a bottle and make it look easy. Chardonnay from 2017 has been charming across the board but the nose on “Sous Roche” is downright irresistible. Notes of Anjou pear and apple blossoms give ripeness and delicacy in turn. It honestly smells like a raw apple turnover: pastry dough, Granny Smiths, and the barest lick of honey. The palate is tethered by bracing acidity and a good dose of that classic limestone-born minerality. It’s mouthwatering, round, clean and focused all at once—exactly what I dream of tasting in a wine two times this price. In a single word “Sous Roche” is “pristine.”  After a few experiments, I recommend decanting for two whole hours before enjoying in oversized Burgundy stems. The bottle will continue to develop for many hours after the cork is pulled, so don’t be afraid to save a little and watch it glow over time. 

And in that spirit, I’m going to choose an unusual food pairing: soft-scrambled eggs with whole cream and caviar. Drink this wine over a really indulgent brunch, that way you have the rest of the day to lie around, watch it wax in the decanter, and think about how the best things in life undoubtedly include Saint-Romain for breakfast. The creaminess of the egg and saltiness of the caviar will make this wine ring clear as a bell. You’ve got another 5-7 years to enjoy this wine, so don’t buy just a single bottle—the rest will be gone by the time you realize your mistake.