Verget Criots Batard Montrachet 2009 – Vineut

Reseña profesional

Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet is the only grand cru vineyard that lies entirely within the commune of Chassagne-Montrachet. It is located on the southeast-facing midslope of the Montrachet hill at the southern end of the Bâtard-Montrachet climat, with the famous Montrachet Grand Cru site covering the hill above. The Criots vineyard is planted to Chardonnay, making complex, rich white wines that are considered among the best in the world.

The vineyard is one of the smallest AOCs in France, covering just 1.6 hectares (4 acres) of land – only the La Romanée site in the Côte de Nuits is smaller. Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet is also the most southerly of Burgundy’s grand cru vineyards. The terroir is broadly similar to that of Bâtard-Montrachet, sharing the same brown limestone soils that are a little deeper with a little more clay than those higher up the slope.

This, combined with Criots’ southeasterly exposure to the sun, makes for a warm, sunny vineyard with good drainage, and subsequently a wine that is delicate and aromatic with good minerality.

Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet was made a grand cru in 1939, along with the rest of the climats surrounding Montrachet. Its name, “Criots”, is thought to derive from the French wordcrai, refering to the vineyard’s stony soils.

Anecdotally, “Bâtard”, meaning “bastard” in French, is said to have come from a local landowner who split his vineyards between his son, the Chevalier; his daughters, Les Pucelles; and his illegitimate son.