If you’ve been following our offers for a while, I’m guessing the mere mention of “Saint-Aubin” prompts the same Pavlovian response for you as it does for me. If not, here’s a reminder: For white Burgundy value, this Côte de Beaune town is the ultimate hunting ground.
It abuts both Chassagne- and Puligny-Montrachet, with several of its vineyards practically touching the assorted “Montrachet” Grand Crus—and so many of its wines emulating the greatness of top-tier Puligny and Chassagne at a fraction of the price. This leads me, of course, to today’s sleek and sumptuous Chardonnay from Saint-Aubin’s “Les Castets” Premier Cru, which may sit a little further away from the Montrachets but feels tantalizingly close. Since a new ownership group took over in 2005, Remoissenet has been one of Burgundy’s runaway success stories—not resting on its considerable laurels but instead becoming one of the most hands-on micro-négociants in the region. Their management and winemaking team is an all-star roster focused on promoting biodynamic agriculture among its grower-partners. Pristine, over-achieving wines like today’s ’17 are the result: The raw material may be purchased, but Remoissenet has skillfully shepherded it through every step of the process. Les Castets is one of Saint-Aubin’s cooler sites—and includes famous names like Hubert Lamy and Marc Colin among its interpreters—but Remoissenet captured both electricity and opulence in 2017. Some of that is vintage, some is ‘house style,’ but either way, this is ambitious Premier Cru white Burgundy at a surprisingly modest price. Pounce on it!
Remoissenet’s talented winemaker, Claudie Jobard, fermented the hand-harvested fruit from Les Castets using ambient yeasts in a mixture of 228-liter and 342-liter French oak barrels (about 30% of which were new), then aged the wine in those same barrels. The result is a white Burgundy stunner that mixes creamy opulence and lush fruit with a sustained high note of racy freshness and minerality. You could certainly pay more, but you really couldn’t ask more from an elite-level Burgundy Chardonnay: In the glass, the 2017 is a pale yellow-gold with flecks of green in the glass, with assertive, inviting aromas of yellow apple, white peach, citrus blossoms, salted lemon, fresh cream, subtle spice, and crushed stones. It is medium-plus in body and poised to put on more weight—muscle, not fat—as it matures, so do yourself a favor and squirrel some bottles away for revisiting in 5-7 years. This is impressive, luxurious white Burgundy—a great choice for chicken and fish dishes incorporating lemon and butter. Given our current political climate, it seemed a good time to dust off the classic recipe attached. Now that’s a perfect call. Enjoy!