2022 Chassagne-Montrachet, Clos de la Maltroie, 1er Cru, Domaine de la Vougeraie, Burgundy

Pale in colour with a toasty barrel reduction. Underneath is something a touch riper with the honeysuckle note of later picking—a sweeter ripeness that doesn’t quite fit into the house style. Fair length.

Drink 2027 - 2031

Moderate wood stops short of fighting with the vaguely exotic aromas of white and yellow peach, lychee, passion fruit and tangerine peel. The rich, suave, caressing medium-weight flavours are borderline vicious, yet the bright citrus-tinged acidity is sufficiently firm to maintain the balance on the mildly sweet if lingering, finale. I suspect that the wood is responsible for the sweetness, and as it is more completely integrated, the sweetness will progressively disappear.

Drink from 2029 onward

The 2022 Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroie 1er Cru has a well-defined, quite mineral-driven bouquet, one of the best amongst Vougeraie’s range of whites, focused and tensile. The palate is well-balanced with a fine bead of acidity, walnut and nutmeg, complementing the citrus fruit with a persistent finish. This superb Chassagne-Montrachet should age with style.

“We started the harvest on August 26 and finished September 13 at 38hL/ha,” Sylvie Poillot said with that permanent smile. “All the whites and reds are matured in 20% new oak in 450-litre barrels for the former, using our own wood from the Citeaux forest. I think the two villages that excelled in 2022 are Vougeot and Chambolle-Musigny. The wines will be bottled early next year, and all the prices will be kept the same as the 2021s.”

Drink 2026 - 2040