Given its notoriety, and its castle-like headquarters in the heart of Beaune, Remoissenet might not seem to fit the description of a Burgundy
“micro-négociant.” Their footprint may indeed be “macro,” but their ambition is to be as nimble and hands-on as the smallest independent
vigneron.
In addition to growing the number of vineyards they own outright—and converting those vineyards to biodynamic farming—Remoissenet has also deepened its relationships with its contract growers, steering them in the direction of biodynamics as well. So, while we’ve dedicated considerable resources to unearthing back-vintage wines from the Remoissenet caves, we haven’t slept on the current releases—and how could we, when they’re as spot-on as this Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru from the 2014 vintage. The La Maltroie vineyard, one of the Côte de Beaune’s most unique sites—known for its success with reds and whites alike—is the source of this opulent, extremely collectible white. Its mix of richness and nerve is characteristic of the vintage and simply amazing to experience; taste this wine amongst several others, as we did, and all you can say, as we did, is, “well, now it’s getting serious!” In the spirit of micro-production, Remoissenet made a small amount of this and shared a small amount with us: We can only offer up to six bottles per customer until our stock disappears.
La Maltroie is an east-facing Premier Cru right in the heart of Chassagne, which, as Burgundy lovers know, is the southernmost of the “big-three” white wine communes in the Côte de Beaune. At one time, Pinot Noir was more widely planted in Chassagne than Chardonnay, but the percentages have skewed strongly in the other direction—although in Maltroie, there’s still a significant amount of red wine being made. Map geeks will find the Maltroie site almost smack in the middle of Chassagne’s quite-large collection of Premier Crus; it has an east/southeast exposition and sits at roughly the same position on the slope as the Grand Cru Le Montrachet to the north.
For most of its history, Remoissenet farmed only a few hectares of its own vineyards, but they’ve been steadily acquiring more vineyard land over the past decade. However, whether it’s an estate-owned plot or a contract vineyard, the Remoissenet team, led by winemaker Claudie Jobard, has an active hand in managing the site and transitioning it to biodynamic agriculture. In the cellar, Jobard ferments the whites on native yeasts and typically ages the Premier Cru wines in 30%-50% new French oak.
We didn’t receive any detailed technical specs on today’s 2014 La Maltroie, but really, none are needed: The wine speaks eloquently and forcefully for itself. The mix of creamy opulence and mineral-etched nerve is one of the great hallmarks of the cool 2014 vintage, and the wine even now has a youthful exuberance that portends well for extended aging. In the glass, it’s a deep, crystal clear yellow-gold moving to a straw rim, with abundant fruits jumping out of the gate first—nectarine, yellow apple, lemon curd—then a touch of toast, warm spice, and honeysuckle. It is full-bodied and luxurious, all in all a super-impressive white Burgundy that will easily “hold the floor” with main course seafood or chicken dishes. It still has plenty in the tank for 10-15 years in your cellar, but with 30-45 minutes in a decanter it is quite the full-package white wine experience right now. Find some beautiful turbot, or halibut, or cod, pull the cork on this, and you’re in white Burgundy heaven. Enjoy!
