Armand Heitz Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Blanc 2021

Armand Heitz Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Blanc comes from the largest and most storied premier cru in the village.

Morgeot occupies the southern flank of Chassagne-Montrachet, a broad sweep of vineyard that once belonged to the Cistercian abbey whose buildings still stand among the vines. The soil is heavier here than higher up the slope, with more clay and iron in the marl, and the wines are correspondingly full-bodied and slow to mature; Morgeot has long been considered the most powerful of Chassagne's whites. Armand Heitz took charge of his family's holdings in 2012 and farms biodynamically, running vines alongside livestock and arable crops. The wine is pressed in whole bunches, fermented with indigenous yeasts and raised in barrel, with new oak kept low.

Serve at around 12 to 13 degrees with lobster, veal or a mature hard cheese; it is a wine that improves for five to eight years.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: White Wine
Style: Medium-bodied, Broad, Textural
Grape Varietal: Chardonnay
Tastes Like: Comparable to a premium oaked Chardonnay, but tauter and more savoury than a New World example
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru AOC
Region: Chassagne-Montrachet, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France
Terroir: Heavier clay and iron-bearing marl in the south of the commune towards Santenay
Aging: Whole bunch pressed and aged largely in used barrels, with little intervention
Serving Temperature: 12℃ – Serve chilled

Armand Heitz has farmed his family’s parcels since 2012, working biodynamically and as part of a mixed farm that keeps animals and crops among the vineyards. Vinification is deliberately understated, with whole bunch pressing, ageing largely in used barrels and little intervention.

Chassagne-Montrachet lies at the southern end of the Côte de Beaune and was a red wine village well within living memory. Morgeot, in the south of the commune towards Santenay, is the largest of the village’s premiers crus and takes its name from the old Cistercian abbey among the vines. Its heavier clay and iron-bearing marl give whites with more breadth and weight than the leaner climats closer to the village.

Seafood: Perfect with turbot, scallops, lobster or crab
Poultry: Excellent with poultry in cream, roast chicken or veal
Starters: Pairs beautifully with escargots, gougères or a mushroom tart
Cheese: Ideal with Comté and soft creamy styles

Comté: Nutty and firm, echoing the wine’s oak-derived depth
Chaource: Soft and lactic, balanced by the wine’s acidity
Délice de Bourgogne: Triple cream and rich, met by the wine’s freshness
Charolais: A Burgundian goat cheese, chalky and bright against the wine’s texture

Escargots à la Bourguignonne (Burgundian Snails in Garlic Butter)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 48 prepared snails, with shells
• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 6 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
• Large bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 French shallots, very finely chopped
• 1 tbsp dry white Burgundy
• Salt and cracked black pepper
• Baguette, to serve

Instructions:

1. Beat the softened butter until light, then work in the garlic, parsley and shallots until evenly green throughout.
2. Add the white wine, a good pinch of salt and plenty of cracked pepper, and beat again.
3. Push a small knob of the butter into each shell, then insert a snail and seal the opening with more butter, mounding it slightly proud.
4. Arrange the shells opening upward in escargot dishes or on a bed of coarse salt to keep them steady.
5. Chill for 30 minutes so the butter firms.
6. Bake at 200℃ for 10–12 minutes until the butter is bubbling and fragrant.
7. Serve immediately with baguette to soak up the butter.

The dish most associated with the region, escargots are a natural partner for white Chassagne-Montrachet. The wine’s acidity and citrus lift cut cleanly through a great deal of garlic butter, while its texture and gentle oak keep pace with the richness rather than being flattened by it.