Chassagne Montrachet Rouge
No one will argue that climate change giveth, and climate taketh. Some might argue over aggregates, but today, we’re just here to celebrate a climate change winner, Chassagne Montrachet Rouge! This is a newsworthy development! In a period of 10 years, Chassagne Montrachet Rouge has gone from the ugly step-sister, a veritable mouth puckering green banana (compared to its fairer sibling), to a fully ready, luscious red Burgundy wine.
On this past trip to France, I just learned that almost 80% of Chassagne was planted to pinot some 30-years ago! In fact, most of the great Chassagne producers have some vineyards planted to pinot noir. It’s almost as if they had a premonition. With climate change now creating crazy shifts in the quality of the pinot noir, the question has gone from “how do we give these away?” to “how do we get more of this stuff?”
The wines today are ripe, round, and possess incredible depth; a delicious choice for those seeking a pleasurable red Burgundy wine.
As a bargain hunter with a nose for sniffing out a deal, I have suspected these trends and have been actively searching for Chassagne Montrachet Rouge. It’s been my feeling that some of the best values in Burgundy red wines are coming from Chassagne Montrachet. The deep clay soils found in the flatter sections of Chassagne Montrachet are ideal for growing pinot noir - couple that with the old vines, which give that sappy richness and meaty character and it's the perfect combination.
When visiting Pillot and Bernard Moreau (as top producers of Chardonnay), they are very proud of their pinot noirs. You would be hard pressed to find a better Burgundy wine from anywhere in the Cote, than these I’m offering today.
