2017 Chassagne-Montrachet, Blanc, 1er Cru, Domaine Lamy-Pillot, Burgundy
Critics reviews
This is quite firmly reduced and needs thorough aeration if you're going to try a bottle shortly after release. Otherwise, there is excellent freshness and vivacity to the delicious flavours that offer more refinement though notably less mid-palate density, all wrapped in an intensely mineral-driven finale.
As the description suggests, this has not yet found its centre, and I recommend allowing this at least a few years to harmonise better.
Drink from 2025 onward
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (April 2022)
About this WINE
Domaine Lamy-Pillot
Domaine Lamy-Pillot is based in the village of Chassagne Montrachet, Burgundy, renowned for producing high-quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.
The domaine has a long-standing history in Burgundy, with several generations of the Lamy and Pillot families involved in the winemaking tradition. The family’s expertise and dedication to quality winemaking have been passed down through the years, contributing to the estate’s reputation for producing outstanding wines.
The estate owns and manages vineyards in some of the most prestigious terroirs of Chassagne-Montrachet, including Premier Cru and Village-level plots. These vineyards are carefully tended to, and the grapes are hand-harvested to ensure the highest quality fruit for winemaking.
While Domaine Lamy-Pillot also produces red wines from Pinot Noir, the estate is particularly renowned for its white wines crafted from Chardonnay. The unique microclimates and limestone-rich soils of Chassagne-Montrachet contribute to their white wines’ distinct character and finesse.
When it comes to winemaking, the domaine follows traditional practices, focusing on minimal intervention to allow the terroir and grape quality to shine through in the final wines. Using oak barrels for fermentation and ageing adds further complexity and structure to the wines.
Chassagne Montrachet
When it comes to the world's greatest white wines, the border between Chassagne and Puligny is the ‘X’ that marks the spot, the treasure at the end of the rainbow. Within a few hundred metres lie five wonderful Grands Crus, three of which are in Chassagne. They are led by the luscious, perfumed but variable Le Montrachet, to which Chassagne gained permission in 1879, along with Puligny, to hyphenate its name.
Both Montrachet and the rich, nutty, honeyed Bâtard-Montrachet are shared between Chassagne and Puligny. The fragrant, very fine and rare Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet however, lies entirely within Chassagne's borders. The Grands Crus have their own appellations, which is why Chassagne (or Puligny) does not appear on the label.Although the most southerly of the three great names of the Côte de Beaune, Chassagne's style is often described as lying between that of Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault: less fine than Puligny, less rich than Meursault but containing elements of both. Chassagne is minerally yet succulent, and often floral with hints of hazelnuts. Despite a bevy of very good Premiers Crus, it is not as good or famous, overall, as Meursault and Puligny, but it is usually extremely good value. Grands Crus should not be opened before eight years of age, and can last for 20 or more. Premiers Crus are at their best from five to 15 years of age; village wines from three to eight.
Perhaps surprisingly, given that the name ‘Montrachet’ is so synonymous with white wine, much of the soil in Chassagne is more suited to Pinot Noir than Chardonnay. Indeed it was only really in the second half of the 20th century that white wines began to dominate here. The reds have a firm tannic style that needs time to soften, with the best examples coming from the Premiers Crus Morgeot, Boudriotte and Clos-St Jean. At their best they combine the weight of the Côte de Nuits with the suppleness of the Côte de Beaune.
- 180 hectares of village Chassagne-Montrachet
- 159 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards. Several of the larger ones are subdivided and may be cited under various different names. The best include Caillerets, Ruchottes, Chaumées, La Boudriotte
- 11 hectares of Grand Cru vineyards: Le Montrachet (part), Bâtard-Montrachet (part) and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet
- Recommended producers: Ramonet, Niellon
- Recommended restaurant: Le Chassagne (good cuisine and wine list)
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
This is quite firmly reduced and needs thorough aeration if you're going to try a bottle shortly after release. Otherwise, there is excellent freshness and vivacity to the delicious flavours that offer more refinement though notably less mid-palate density, all wrapped in an intensely mineral-driven finale.
As the description suggests, this has not yet found its centre, and I recommend allowing this at least a few years to harmonise better.
Drink from 2025 onward
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (April 2022)
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