Paul Pillot Chassagne Montrachet Grande Montagne 1er 2018

Pillot works with just 0.26 hectares of 30-plus-year-old vines in this ‘island’ of a vineyard, high up on the slope. In fact, this is one of Chassagne’s highest sites (above Les Grandes Ruchottes and around the same level as La Romanée). It’s a first-rate terroir, one of the finest in Chassagne, and on the same sweeping band of chalky, terres blanches soil that flows north towards the Grand Cru vineyards. Wines from La Grande Montagne can also be bottled under the name Tonton Marcel although I’ve never seen it done so. It’s a Chassagne terroir that gives the most Puligny-style wines, with more floral aromatics and a taught, cool structure. This is precisely what has been delivered in 2018, as the notes below make clear.

“The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Grand Montagne is also extremely promising, revealing a bouquet of fresh pear and citrus oil, framed by a delicate hint of almond paste. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, this is rich and textural, with a deep core of lively fruit and a long, chalky finish.” 92-94 points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate.

“This is higher on the hill and more on the stones, compared to the earth of Grandes Ruchottes and Romanée, also more recently planted. The lightest nose of the four grands vins. Steely, similar to an upper Puligny but with a touch more fruit concentration especially at the back of the palate. 4 Stars.” 93-95 points, Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy.