Chateau de Chassagne-Montrachet

We came away with some lovely bottles after a great afternoon tasting wines from the area. Our host, who’s been growing vines with her brother for generations, gave us a full flight and talked about the local vineyards, terroirs, grape varieties, and why the individual plots matter for premier crus and grand crus. They make around 50k bottles a year, so it was nice to support a smaller local producer. The wines were fantastic, and I’d recommend stopping by.

The wines stood out for their balance, with lovely fruit and just a touch of oak. Nathalie welcomed us at the chateau of Bader-Mimeur and walked us through the winemaking, including the recent vintage. We saw the French oak barrels with the recently picked red and white wines, then tasted five wines, four Chardonnay and one burgundy. Nathalie explained each one clearly and was very kind to us. We were impressed by both the wines and the process, and I’d strongly recommend a visit and tasting.

Nathalie was lovely with our curious, easily distracted 2 year old during the visit, and she also took us through the wines. We really enjoyed the whites and reds, especially En Journoblot. The 2015 Santenay 1er Cru was particularly good when we drank it the following evening. Nathalie is one of the two winemakers. If you’re in the area, I’d recommend visiting and seeking out their wines.

It’s a small operation, but the tour and tasting were very well done. Nathalie knows fine Chassagne-Montrachet inside out, and we ended up buying a few bottles to lay down. A definite stop on the Côte D’or.