During a visit to Burgundy last year, I came across today’s Chassagne-Montrachet from Domaine Fleurot-Larose and found myself in a reverie not unlike that of restaurant critic Anton Ego in the movie “Ratatouille.” Instead of being transported to my mother’s kitchen door, I was instead brought back to trade tastings and sommelier jobs past, when the prevailing wisdom on the wines of Chassagne-Montrachet was that they were perhaps the boldest, most richly textured white Burgundies out there.
These days, many fashionable producers are seeking out a more austere, ‘reductive’ (i.e. oxygen-starved) style of Chardonnay, which may be a response to a time in the ’90s and ’00s when many white Burgundies suffered from premature oxidation (“premox” for short). Much as I love the high-pitched squeal of the more reductive styles, I also appreciate the more opulent, textural, golden-hued style of Fleurot-Larose’s Premier Cru “Abbaye de Morgeot.” There’s no premox—not the slightest hint—but there’s a lot of ripe yellow apple fruit and a well-managed bit of toast to sink your teeth into here. This is a gutsy, ‘roast chicken’ white Burgundy with old school heft and charm. When you read about Burgundy in search of conventional wisdom, the descriptions of top Chassagne-Montrachet strongly resemble this wine. Which is why I had to have it: We arranged to direct-import this bottle and, having given it time to rest in our California warehouse, it’s time to share it with you. Seductive and enjoyable now but also built for cellaring, this falls in the “affordable luxury” category and is not to be missed!
It’s also yet another example of the deep history to be found around every corner in Burgundy. The Fleurot family’s domaine is based in the elegant Château du Passe-Temps, which was originally built in 1843 by the legendary Jacques-Marie Duvault (onetime owner of Romanée-Conti). The Château, which has been in Fleurot hands in 1912, is in Santenay, marking the Premier Cru Santenay vineyard (their monopole) “Clos du Passe-Temps.” The domaine’s holdings also include some prime sites in Chassagne-Montrachet, including the source of today’s wine, the Premier Cru “Abbaye de Morgeot.” This small vineyard is a small sub-section of the larger “Morgeot” vineyard, the largest and best-known of Chassagne’s Premier Crus. Named for an old Abbey once inhabited by Cistercian monks, the Abbaye de Morgeot site is said to have a more gradual, more exposed slope and a slightly more southeastern aspect in comparison to Morgeot as a whole. The pebbly limestone-clay soils are the same, but the subtle difference in aspect lends an extra dimension to the wines.
In 2016, as we’ve noted in previous offers, there was plenty of sun when it counted (despite frosts in the spring that dramatically reduced crop size in many places), and this bottle is showing a nicely layered, sumptuous texture. I should also note that we’ve been sitting on this wine in our cold warehouse for about six months, which has allowed it to settle down after the shock of shipping and blossom aromatically. In the glass, it’s a deep and luminous yellow gold with hints of green at the rim, with inviting aromas of yellow apple, pear, salted lemon, brioche with marmalade, citrus blossoms, and hints of white button mushroom, drawn butter, and crushed white rocks. It is medium-plus in body with lots of luscious texture, but what I’ve noticed in tracking the wine over the last six months is that, while it is accessible in its youth, it has actually firmed and freshened up since it first arrived. My move would be to sit on it a little longer, maybe six months or so, then begin enjoying it regularly over the next 3-5 years. Decant it about 30 minutes before serving in large Burgundy stems and, yes, a perfect roast chicken feels almost mandatory here. Attached is the Barbara Kafka ‘high-heat’ take for a little change of pace. Enjoy!
