Chassagne Montrachet | TOP 10 best estates

• Domaine Ramonet 

Domaine Ramonet produces superb Chassagne: "Ramonet in white is the equivalent of Henri Jayer or Domaine de La Romanée-Conti in red," writes Clive Coates. This is the largest estate in Chassagne, producing wonderful white wines of all levels, from village wines to the famous Montrachet . Founded in the late 1920s by Pierre Ramonet , the estate is now run by Noël Ramonet and his brother Jean-Claude . Fruit from vines less than 18 years old is excluded from the estate's cuvées, and yields are severely limited. The wines are vinified using traditional methods, then aged in oak barrels (33% new) for 12 to 15 months. Domaine Ramonet produces the famous Chassagne-Montrachet Les Grandes Ruchottes A top-quality Premier Cru, offering elegance and power. Incredible intensity, with accents of spice, tropical fruit, smoke and toasted oak rippling across the palate. Another great house wine, the Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets Les Chaumées: flavors of toasted oak, spices, mocha and coffee beans blend wonderfully with ripe, pure, clean fruit. Other wines include Les Chaumées, Les Vergers, Morgeot, Boudriottes, Les Caillerets...

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• Domaine Verget

Jean-Marie Guffens-Heynen and his wife Maine are among the best white Bougogne winemakers in the world. They produce small quantities and are without doubt the leading producers of Macon and one of the best producers of Chablis. They also produce some great Chassagne-Montrachet wines: La Maltroie Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, La Romanée, Morgeot Vieilles Vignes, Chenevottes Caniculus, CM 1er cru, Morgeot, Chaumes, Franchemont, Champs Gains...

• Etienne Sauzet

Domaine Étienne Sauzet is managed by Gérard Boudot, accompanied by his daughter Emilie and son-in-law Benoît Riffault. This estate produces great Chassagne-Montrachet wines, with supple, ripe, balanced texture and character. The village offers many subtle nuances of pineapple, citrus, pear and oak. The climats Les Encégnières Chassagne-Montrachet are also available.

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• Marc Colin

Marc Colin has now entrusted this flagship St-Aubin estate to three of his children, Damien, Joseph and Caroline. 20 hectares spread over 30 appellations, including 25 for white wines. Domaine Marc Colin's reds come from St-Aubin, Chassagne-Montrachet and Santenay. The estate's great Chassagne-Montrachet is from the "Les Caillerets" climat. The 2017 is very promising, unfolding in the glass with notes of lemon oil, smoke, crushed stones and subtle hints of hazelnut. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with incisive acids, a tight core and a long, direct and noticeably mineral finish. It will be worth seeking out in bottle. There are numerous climats: Champs Gains, Vide Bourse, Chenevottes, CM rouge Vieilles Vignes, Encégnières, CM Margaux.

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• Blain Gagnard

Domaine Blain-Gagnard was created in 1980 when Jean-Marc Blain (a Sancerrois) married Claudine Gagnard, the last daughter of Jacques and Marie-Josèphe Gagnard of Domaine Gagnard-Delagrange. The couple manage this venerable estate with the help of their son Marc-Antonin. They now control 20.5 acres of vines in Chassagne-Montrachet, including three grands crus: Le Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. The 2009 Chassagne-Montrachet La Boudriotte is the only wine among these 2009s to require additional bottle age. It offers astonishing depth and richness in a style similar to that of the Morgeot, but with much more finesse. Layers of fruit seem to cover every inch of the mouth in this rich, textured Burgundy. It's a fabulous projection of Blain-Gagnard. In Chassagne-Montrachet, there are several climats for Blain-Gagnard: Caillerets, Boudriottes, Clos St Jean, Morgeot, Cailleret, Chassagne village red and white.

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• Louis Latour

Maison Louis Latour is one of Beaune's best-known merchants and négociants, with a reputation for producing quality whites. The current owner, Louis-Fabrice, born in 1964, is the seventh Louis Latour to preside over the company. Winemaking is now in the hands of Jean-Charles Thomas, replacing Jean-Pierre Jobard, while Boris Champy has replaced Denis Fetzmann as vineyard manager. The white grapes from his Burgundy vineyards are picked as ripe as possible, crushed before pressing, left to ferment in vats without decanting, then sent to barrel to finish fermentation, without stirring the lees. One hundred percent new oak is used for the estate's wines. Red grapes are destemmed and crushed before fermentation on the relatively short skins, then transferred to barrels for ageing. Slightly less new wood is used for the reds than for the whites, but they generally remain in barrel longer. There are 1er cru Baudines, Caillerets, La Grande Montagne, La Maltroie, Les Chenevottes, Les Vergers, Morgeot (white and red), CM 1er cru, CM village (white and red).

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• Pierre-Yves Colin Morey

This handsome domaine owns vineyards in Chassagne-Montrachet dating back at least to the 4th century AD. Today, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey runs the estate. He was previously with the Marc Colin family estate, until 2005. The white wines are sublime, with successful maturity and ageing. Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes 2015: Opulent, with a broad palette of peach, apple, honey and spice flavors, well supported by tangy acidity. Long finish, reminiscent of ripe fruit and spice. Excellent length. Also includes 1er cru Baudines, Caillerets, Champs Gains, Maltroie, Morgeots, Village les Encenières.

• Henri Boillot

In a very short space of time, Henri Boillot has built up an extraordinary reputation for the quality of his Burgundy wines. The domaine produces very small quantities of wine. Henri Boillot, meticulous and elegant, also owns and manages the domaine founded by his grandfather. The exceptional quality of these wines, including the impressive and exclusive "Les Mouchères" monopole, is testament to his diligent work in the vineyards and cellars. Henri's Chassagne-Montrachet wines are found in the Chevenottes, Embrazées, Chaumées and Cuvée Village climats.

• Paul Pillot

Thierry oversees one of the most exciting estates on the Côte de Beaune. If you like your Chardonnays full of verve, purity and minerality, then this is the domaine for you. Although he has good parcels, Thierry likes to maximize the crystalline, salty character of his wines and buys very few new oak barrels. He harvests early and adopts an ageing approach that allows the soil to speak for itself. These are excellent wines year after year, and epitomize what Burgundy's finest white winemakers are currently doing. Chassagne wines include: Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée (0.41 hectares), Les Grandes Ruchottes (0.26 ha), Les Caillerets (0.49 ha), La Grande Montagne (0.26 ha), Les Champs Gains (0.38 hectares), Clos Saint-Jean (1.20 hectares), Chassagne-Montrachet `Les Mazures (0.63 hectares).

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• Hubert Lamy