No one does “small production” quite like the Burgundians. Take the Grand Cru vineyard Chevalier-Montrachet, for example: It is just under 8 hectares (about 20 acres) in size, and is split up among 8 different owners. Remoissenet, the historic Burgundy négociant house, purchases fruit from one of those owners (their contract stipulates that it remains unnamed) to craft a small amount—small as in 300 bottles max per vintage—of this wine.
Located upslope from Le Montrachet itself, Chevalier-Montrachet is a touch steeper and stonier, and for me, may represent the platonic ideal of Burgundy Chardonnay: all of the creamy opulence of Montrachet is there, albeit with a more focus, pronounced minerality, and slightly longer finish. If you’ve ever wondered what the best of anything tastes like, this is your chance to find out.
The 2011 Chevalier-Montrachet displays a highly concentrated light golden core with green and gold reflections on the rim. The nose is sheer heaven: fresh acacia blossoms, yellow apple, bosc pear, and lemon peel segue into notes of crushed hazelnuts, kaffir lime, honeysuckle, beeswax, white truffle, and crushed limestone. The broad, full-bodied palate delivers creamy texture framed by fresh acidity as well as focused layers of crushed oyster shell and limestone minerality. At six years of age, this wine is drinking beautifully now, but will thrive for another decade or two with proper storage. For immediate gratification, decant for about an hour and serve in large Burgundy stems between 55-65 degrees. Chardonnay simply doesn’t get any more focused and fine. Wow. If only there were more of it!