2011 Domaine Ramonet Bouzeron

Domaine Ramonet is a 44-acre estate in Chassagne-Montrachet, in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune, and it is considered one of the very finest producers of Chardonnay. Some collectors would say it is unequivocally the finest producer of Chardonnay in the world. The domain was founded by Pierre Ramonet in the 1930s and his grandsons Noel and Jean-Claude run it today. The estate owns Grand Cru parcels in Le Montrachet, Batard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet. Domaine Ramonet also produces highly regarded Premier Cru Chardonnays, and several red wines, including a Premier Cru Chassagne Montrachet Clos de la Boudriotte. Clive Coates has noted that “the beauty of Ramonet wines is that they are totally individual; more Ramonet than Chassagne. The work is done by instinct, not by the book.”

Côte Chalonnaise is just south of Côte de Beaune, but a million miles away in terms of its recognition as a part of Burgundy. Writer Clive Coates has called Côte Chalonnaise a “well-known forgotten area…While everyone acknowledges that it is worth investigating, few merchants bother to go prospecting.” Part of the recognition problem is that until 1990 there was no Côte Chalonnaise appellation for generic wines. Today there is a Bourgogne-Côte Chalonnaise appellation that covers parts of 44 villages. There are also five villages with AOC status and many Premier Cru vineyards, though no Grand Crus. The villages are Rully, Mercurey, Givry, Montagny and Bouzeron. Bouzeron is noteworthy because its white wines are made from the Aligoté grape rather than Chardonnay. The other villages produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Côte Chalonnaise has about 300 acres of vineyards.