A dry, oaked Chardonnay in the classic “buttery and complex” white Burgundy style. Early tasting notes describe a classic Chassagne nose of ripe yellow orchard fruit (peach, pear, apple) with subtle resin/honey notes, leading to rich, seductive, medium-bodied palate with good mid-palate fat, fine length, and balancing minerality. With age (now 18 years), community tastings show development into hazelnut, honey, forest-floor, citrus peel, gunflint/mineral, and subtle buttery tones while retaining freshness and balance in good bottles. It is a textbook village Chassagne—elegant rather than opulent, with the vintage’s hallmark high acidity giving structure and longevity.
Critics Reviews (key excerpts)
- Allen Meadows (Burghound) – 89 points (“Outstanding”), tasted June 2010: “A classic Chassagne nose of ripe yellow orchard fruit aromas that are laced with subtle resin notes leads to rich, delicious and seductive middle weight flavors that possess good mid-palate fat and fine length. One to consider as this wine usually sells for reasonable prices.”
- Average professional critic score: 89/100 (7 reviews across sources including Burghound, Jancis Robinson, Wine Spectator, International Wine Cellar / Vinous – Stephen Tanzer, etc.).
- CellarTracker community average: 91.2/100 (small sample of 9 notes). Tasters praise the evolving complexity, minerality, and balance; some note bottle variation (occasional premature oxidation, common in 2008 whites).
Food Pairings
Classic white Burgundy matches:
- Poultry (roast chicken, turkey, chicken risotto with herbs)
- Shellfish/crustaceans (crayfish/avocado cocktail, lobster, scallops, oysters)
- Creamy or light sauces (Caesar salad with chicken, veal in cream sauce)
- Soft/mild cheeses (e.g., Waterloo or similar British/French cheeses)
Avoid very spicy or overly acidic dishes that could clash with the wine’s evolved profile.
Drink Window
Originally recommended 2010–2015 (ready to drink, will keep) by major databases. In practice, well-stored bottles showed positive evolution and freshness into the early 2020s (notes as recent as 2021 describe “very nice and fresh with complexity/minerals”). As a village-level wine from a good but not legendary vintage (cool, high-acid 2008), it is now fully mature in 2026. Drink now through ~2030 (or longer in exceptional cellar conditions). Watch for oxidation risk—decant gently if needed and consume good bottles promptly.
Serving temperature: 12–14°C (53–57°F). This range allows the wine’s evolved complexity, minerality, and subtle oak to shine without muting the acidity or making it too austere (standard recommendation for mature white Chassagne-Montrachet / white Burgundy).
