How does it achieve such complex, beguiling enchantment?
Chardonnay the world over can result in hugely appealing wines, provided they aren’t over-cropped or over-oaked. But nowhere in the world does it attain such sublime perfection as it does, in the right vintage and in the right hands, as Burgundy’s Côte d’Or.
One such happy convergence is the Chassagne-Montrachet, Morgeot, Marquis de Laguiche 1er Cru, Drouhin 2009 ($100). It is another example in that endlessly repeated, but too often ignored, lesson that the best way to find great Burgundy is to pay attention to the name of the propriétaire/négociant rather than the AOC classification: Grand Cru, Premier Cru etc..
This gem is “only” a Premier Cru, but it is one of the greatest white Burgundies I have ever drunk. Yes, 2009 was a perfect vintage – it was difficult to make bad wine anywhere in Burgundy that sun-filled summer – but the two names on the label, Marquis de Laguiche and Drouhin, are of more importance than the classification.
The Laguiche family have owned some of the most prized vineyard land since before the Revolution, but in 1947 the then Marquis, realizing he lacked the expertise to fully exploit the potential of his holdings, entrusted the whole operation to his friend, Maurice Drouhin, owner of négociant and winemaker Maison Joseph Drouhin.
It was a deal sealed with a handshake, a handshake that is still in effect today. Most profitably in effect for both parties.
It's a wine that rewards attention. It's quite shy. It doesn’t reach out and grab you the way so many big California Chardonnays do, its charms are more subtle than that. There’s a refined, restrained delicacy, layers of fruit, and lace-like acidity mingled with hints of a flinty minerality, all rounded off with just a touch of oak.
And it was perfection with simply grilled swordfish.
+++++++
Rating: *****
When To Drink: Now and for the next several years
Breathing/Decanting: Half an hours breathing
Food Pairing: The best fish
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Appellation: Chassagne-Montrachet, Morgeot, 1er Cru
Region: Burgundy
Country: France
Price: $100
Availability: Very limited
Web site: www.drouhin.com/en
