In recent years, legendary Beaune négociant Remoissent has been quietly reconditioning their five-decade-old cellar reserves in small waves, and we’ve dedicated considerable resources to get these precious library releases into your hands. But what was once a secret is no longer: Prices for them are now soaring, and what little remains will soon be receiving an additional price surge. Fear not! The current releases are just as thrilling, collectible, fixating, and (slightly) less limited.
What’s more, their 2019s are of particular interest to us because, aside from this shaping up to be an extraordinary vintage, wine legend and Remoissenet GM Pierre Rovani has been busy securing some of the region’s finest vine real estate. Today’s label may only state “Chassagne-Montrachet” but it’s from two sustainably farmed choice parcels at the northern edge of the village, where Grand Crus Le Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet begin. The richness and verve in this wine is simply gobsmacking; it’s a veritable liquid luxury that will send all Chardonnay cognoscenti spiraling into a blissful stupor. We can only offer six bottles per customer—but read the below note first!
LIMITED BONUS OFFER: The first time I ever tasted Remoissenet’s Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne was at their estate in Beaune alongside legend Pierre Rovani: He presented it in a shiner bottle next to a Chevalier-Montrachet and Le Montrachet, and it blew them both away at a fraction of the price. Today’s mind-blowingly luxurious 2019 release transported me right back to that very day. The only reason it isn’t getting a full feature? We don’t have nearly enough. Up to three bottles can be purchased here.
Since we launched SommSelect, we’ve watched with a mixture of delight and awe as this historic négociant firm has transformed itself into one of Burgundy’s most nimble, thoughtful, and wide-ranging explorers of the region’s many terroirs. They’ve done this by homing in on the greatest vineyards in the region, often purchasing parcels to complement what they get from contract growers, but in either instance, a focus on the very best raw material is paramount.
Given how many Remoissenet Burgundies we’ve offered, both young and old, the story of this iconic brand is probably well-known by now: The firm, whose catacomb-like cellars in the town of Beaune hold an incredible library of back-vintage bottles, was acquired—and subsequently supercharged—by a new ownership group in 2005. A dream team of Burgundy talent was assembled to bring the once-moribund brand back to prominence: Cellar Master Bernard Répolt; GM Pierre Rovani; and Winemaker Claudie Jobard.
As mentioned above, today’s 2019 Chassagne-Montrachet hails from two choice parcels in the northern reaches of the village. Rovani homed in on these due to prime sun exposure, rich soils, and sustainable farming—their close proximity to Grand Crus Bâtard-Montrachet and Le Montrachet was just an added bonus! The manually harvested fruit was pressed full cluster into a mixture of 228- and 342-liter barrels (30% new) where it underwent a spontaneous fermentation. The resulting wine then aged in these barrels until bottling earlier this year.
Remoissenet’s 2019 Chassagne displays a deep, shimmering yellow-gold core with bright silver reflections at the rim. Although a 30-minute decant is recommended, it is generous and open right out of the bottle with full-throttle aromas of über-ripe yellow apple, grilled pineapple, apricot, lemon curd, fresh cream, marzipan, candied white flowers, powdery white stone, toasted nuts, warm baking spices, and vanilla bean. This is a very textural, opulent, full-bodied Chardonnay that will easily fool people into calling it a luxurious Premier Cru at the minimum! Let me stress the point again: This is an unapologetically lush white Burgundy powerhouse that will have hedonists dancing on cloud nine. It can be enjoyed now and over the next five years before developing a savory edge. Cheers!
