Exploring the premiers crus surrounding Montrachet

Understanding the nuances of the premiers crus surrounding Montrachet may seem complicated, but it can yield significant dividends if it leads you to wines that resemble the grand crus at a fraction of the price. Here we examine some of the premier crus (and even village-level wines) that fit the bill.

This article includes:

Puligny-Montrachet premiers crus
Chassagne-Montrachet premiers crus
Saint-Aubin premiers crus
Village-level wines worth looking out for

Scroll down to see scores and tasting notes for a selection of must-try Montrachet premier cru wines

Domaine Leflaive winemaker Pierre Vincent explains the vineyards around Montrachet in the following way:

‘Chevalier-Montrachet is typified by a marked minerality and by flinty gun smoke notes. The clay and limestone soil is very poor and gives a saline note on the finish.

In Bâtard-Montrachet, below Montrachet, the soil is much deeper, and the higher clay content gives a very opulent wine.

In Bienvenues-Bâtard Montrachet, on the other hand, thinner soils produce wines with abundant energy.

In [premier cru Les] Pucelles, one finds similarities with Chevalier-Montrachet. However, the Clos du Meix is different – it is a little bowl or depression that is cooler and more humid. Leflaive has all three sectors: Grande Pucelles, Petites Pucelles, and the Clos des Meix which is more austere. Montrachet, however, is a synthesis of all of these and gives a wine that is so concentrated that served in an opaque black glass one might mistake it for red wine.’