The 2009 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers is a gorgeous, striking wine laced with slate, crushed rocks and white stone fruits. It shows plenty of Chassange character in a classy, nuanced style that is highly attractive. The chiseled, well-articulated finish is quite pretty. Anticipated maturity: 2012+.
Alex Moreau showed me a wide range of wines during my recent visit. The 2009s were brought in with natural alcohols between 12.5-13%. Moreau told me the fermentations lasted 4-6 months, with no batonnage or racking, and that his goal was to retain as much freshness, which meant using relatively low levels of new oak (30% max for the premier crus.) The wines spent 12 months in oak followed by six months in steel prior to being bottled. This a beautiful set of 2009s. The wines are distinguished by their finesse and exceptional overall balance. I only had a chance to taste a few 2010s, as my schedule was pretty tight the day I visited, but the wines I sampled are very promising.
Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 603-1461