"Small is Beautiful"
2008 Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet
1er Cru Les Vergers
Small Estate, Small Parcel, Small Price Tag... GREAT Wine
This is the sweet spot of white Burgundy for us - seductive and authoritative. This is the stuff that has given Chassagne-Montrachet the legendary reputation it has...
...today we have a few cases available at just over $60.
Along with Ramonet, Niellon represents the pinnacle of Chassagne-Montrachet.
Michel Niellon's tiny estate (about 6 hectares in total) is most famous for its Chevalier and Bâtard-Montrachet - these are the rare trophy bottlings, Grand Crus that sell in the vicinity of $300 a bottle.
There is more to Niellon however than just the top dogs, worthy though they are of the adulation. Year in and year out Niellon is one of the most consistent producers in Chassagne, the wines he crafts are muscular with ripe layers of fruit and flower.
His 1er Cru Les Vergers shows off not just what makes him such a benchmark producer, but what makes great white Burgundy so desirable in the first place. The 2008 Vergers has weight, depth, a saturating presence on the palate WITH a strong presence of minerality, a muscular acidity and a fascinating thread of cool herbal resin veining through the round, yellow fruit.
In short, this has everything we love in white Burgundy.
And the 2008 vintage aligns perfectly with Niellon's style, matching substance to vibrancy, all while remaining cool, composed and intense enough to hold up in the cellar for another decade. Still, the energy and clarity of this wine also make it perfect for enjoying right now.
Niellon is working with very low yields here, as he does in all of his vineyard and for all of his cuvées - and because of this, along with his fuss-free winemaking, his wines are always among the purest, most signature-free Burgundies. In the dance between winemaker and terroir, Niellon does a wonderful job of letting the site take the lead.
"Small is beautiful, in this case," as Clive Coates rightly says about Niellon. And if Niellon is often overlooked, this is at least part of the reason - there is no doubt these wines drink well above their price.
His reputation is growing, as it should... and over the last few years we've seen our parcels selling out ever-faster. We sold through our first parcel of 08 Niellon Champsgain in just one day. Demand for great white Burgundy is always high; demand for great, affordable white Burgundy even more intense.
We have only a few cases to offer. To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
1er Cru Les Vergers
Burghound: "A different aromatic expression of lemon, apricot and floral hints introduces round, seductive and silkily textured medium-bodied flavors that are notably more complex and much finer as well. This is terrific and worth considering as well."
Wine is in stock and available
NET | No further discount