2019 Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Les Chenevottes’ Premier Cru

Responsibly Farmed
Hidden Gem
Classic in Style

A stone’s throw from grand cru Le Montrachet, Les Chenevottes shares similar exposure and soil types with the former. Les Chenevottes is also one of the most complex of the area’s premiers crus—this wine will drink well now yet continue to shine over the next 20 years.

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White
  • Tasting Notes lemon, key lime pie, almond blossom, toast, limestone
  • Variety Chardonnay
  • Region France, Burgundy
  • Volume 750ml
  • Table Talk The name Chenevottes comes from the French word for chanvre, which means hemp. In the past, hemp was a major crop in the area, though it was not used for smoking, but rather rope making.

$135.00

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Phillippe Colin’s Burgundy-based roots run deep. His father’s lineage in Chassagne-Montrachet dates back nearly 200 years on both sides, and today, Phillippe is lucky enough to farm the fruits of their labor. After studying viticulture in Beaune, Philippe and his brother Bruno inherited the family estate, split it, and Domaine Phillippe Colin was born. Today, Philippe farms 12 hectares across Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay, Puligny-Montrachet, and Saint-Aubin. His holdings span 24 appellations across the entire designation spectrum, from village level to grand cru status.

In addition to his viticultural know-how, Phillippe’s innate knowledge of the land makes him an expert in the Côte de Beaune. He farms and vinifies with as little intervention as possible, so as to let the land speak for itself. The resulting wines are crystalline, terroir-focused, and boast a serious sense of place. We are so proud to share the minimal quantities we get of them with you at Argaux. 

2019 Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Les Chenevottes’ Premier Cru: Tasting Notes

A Chardonnay’s palate is almost totally dependent on the way it’s made, with obvious exceptions for factors like terroir and fruit quality. Nutrients in the soil and delicious rays of sunlight do their work during the growing season, with love and support from surrounding vegetation and landscape which alter the amount of wind the vines are likely to see as the uvae develop.

All of this contributes to the ultimate flavors of the final bottle, but the processes and materials used during fermentation are what bring out wildly variable but equally iconic palates provided by Chardonnay. Steel or concrete tanks create a purity and authenticity in the resultant wine – typically a fruity, floral, light-bodied oeuvre. (The advice is usually to drink these wines young.) Oaked Chards – those fermented and aged in oak barrels – take on the chemistries of their container, and give us a bodacious, buttery, and spice-forward glass. (These ones are the wines you want to let rest for a decade or two before you break them out at a special party.)

As classic an experience as it’s possible to get with a Burgundian Chardonnay, the 2019 Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Les Chenevottes’ Premier Cru has a palate like the air in a French boulangerie that specializes in lemon curd and marzipan tarts. This is a big, buttery, yet complex and terroir-driven white wine that’s a four-course dessert spread which through the wonders of vinification has been alchemically transformed into an utterly elegant elixir.

2019 Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Les Chenevottes’ Premier Cru: Region & Vineyard

The Burgundy region holds a historic role in the narrative of France’s winemaking tradition. Burgundy is best known for producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay-based wines, which each set the standard for quality and tradition across the European nation. And within Burgundy, many sub-regions – defined as much by their unique geologies as by the uber-local peculiarities in their farming and vinification processes – are producing wines the likes of which you will find nowhere else in France, let alone the world.

The 2019 Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Les Chenevottes’ Premier Cru hails from a 1er Cru vineyard cuddled up next to the Grand Cru Montrachet appellation, located in the Côte de Beaune sub-region of Bourgogne. Terroir here is defined by the land’s nutrient-rich and well-draining soils, which are composed largely of lime, red-clay, jurassic marls, and pebbles.

2019 Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Les Chenevottes’ Premier Cru: Food Pairing Ideas

For all its tradition and quintessentially, the 2019 Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet ‘Les Chenevottes’ Premier Cru is a remarkably food-friendly wine that loves to cross genres by being paired with some unusual allies.

Like all Chardonnays, this wine is a perfect pair for fresh oysters, seared scallops, and other varieties of seafood. You would be equally happy having a glass alongside a veggie-forward meal like a provencal root veg stew, or sweet potato gnocchi with green-garlic pesto.

If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, try this wine with a dim sum spread from your favorite dumpling bar, or Thai garlic fried rice with eggplant tofu on the side.

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