2017 Chassagne Montrachet Les Chevenottes

Aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, honeycomb, spices and white flowers introduce the 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes, a medium to full-bodied wine with tangy acids and a chalky, tensile profile, concluding with a long, saline finish. This is another cuvée from Colin's domaine holdings, deriving from two plantings, one aged 45 and the other 60 years old.

Very calcareous and pebbly. Bottom of the hill. On the Puligny side. Light soils. 45-year-old vines. Racked and back to barrel in August. Will spend several months in tank before bottling in May. Rich ripe lemon on the nose. Spicy and almost touch of nutmeg. Deep and eye-wateringly intense. Wonderful mealy cedary power in the mouth, utterly pure. Incredibly long. (JH)

Bright lemon-green. Reticent aromas of white stone fruits, fresh herbs, spring flowers and white pepper. Less unctuous than the Chassagne villages but more imploded today (these 55-year-old vines are planted on shallow soil over calcaire but are not particularly high on the hillside). Offers lovely balance and mineral energy, finishing with noteworthy rising length and brisk acidity. But this wine is less evolved and showy than the Ancegnières, which has the fat of a baby Bâtard-Montrachet. Colin noted that it was essential to control yields in 2017 in vineyards like this one that were severely frosted in 2016--and even more important in 2018.