1999 Remoissenet Pere & Fils Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes

Remoissenet Pere et Fils was founded in Beaune in 1877 and was run as a negociant and producer for the last part of the 20th century by the venerable Roland Remoissenet. The 7.5-acre estate was sold after Remoissenet retired in 2005 to New York investors and a Canadian wine importer. Pierre-Antoine Rovani, once a writer for Wine Advocate, is employed by the New York investors, who installed Rovani as president of of the domaine. Maison Louis Jadot also has a minority financial interest in the estate. Bernard Repolt, the former president of Louis Jadot, is in charge of winemaking at Remoissenet. Vineyards have been added in recent years and the estate is now focused only on producing wines from grapes grown on estate vineyards, a departure from past years. Today the estate is known for Premier Cru red and white wines.

Les Combettes is a 19.4-acre acre Premier Cru vineyard in the Puligny-Montrachet appellation in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. It is on the northern edge of the appellation and borders Meursault. Les Combettes is considered the appellation’s finest Premier Cru, and writer Clive Coates calls Les Combettes “the most complete wine” of the four Premier Cru vineyards in northern Puligny-Montrachet. Les Combettes, he writes, “is a mouthwatering and deliciously elegant combination of Meursault and Puligny, with the steeliness of the latter and the honeysuckle and hazelnut of the former.”

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.