Armand Heitz Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru 2022

Armand Heitz Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru comes from the vineyard that sits directly above Le Montrachet on the slope at Puligny.

Chevalier-Montrachet is one of the grand crus of the Montrachet hill and covers only about seven and a half hectares, divided among a small number of owners. It lies on the upper part of the slope, where the topsoil is thin almost to the point of absence and the roots work directly into fractured limestone; the result is a wine that develops slowly and holds its shape in bottle for decades. Grand cru status in Burgundy attaches to the ground rather than to the producer, and this is ground of the highest order. Armand Heitz farms biodynamically from a base in Chassagne-Montrachet, with restrained cellar work and modest use of new oak.

It deserves a decade in a good cellar; serve at around 12 to 13 degrees with lobster, turbot or Bresse chicken.

*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, Tensile, Age-worthy
Grape Varietal: Chardonnay
Tastes Like: Comparable to a premium oaked Chardonnay, but far leaner, longer and more mineral than a New World example
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru AOC
Region: Puligny-Montrachet, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France
Terroir: Thin stony soil over hard limestone on the steep upper slope above Le Montrachet
Aging: Whole bunch pressed and raised in barrel with little intervention
Serving Temperature: 12℃ – Serve chilled

Armand Heitz took over his family’s vines in the 2010s, working from Chassagne-Montrachet and Pommard, and farms organically with a regenerative approach that brings livestock, trees and hedgerows back among the vines. Vinification is deliberately understated, with whole bunch pressing and little intervention.

Chevalier-Montrachet is a grand cru on the steep upper slope of Puligny-Montrachet, sitting directly above Le Montrachet itself. The soil there is thin and stony over hard limestone, and the gradient is severe enough that erosion has long been a problem for growers. Those conditions give a wine of pronounced tension and length rather than weight, and Chevalier is generally held to be the most finely drawn of the Montrachet grands crus.

Seafood: Perfect with lobster, langoustine, turbot or scallops
Fish: Excellent with river fish in butter sauce, sole or brill
Poultry: Pairs beautifully with poularde in cream or roast veal
Truffle: Ideal with white truffle dishes or a truffled risotto

Comté Extra-Vieux: Long-aged and crystalline, matching the wine’s concentration
Brillat-Savarin: Triple cream and buttery, met by the wine’s acidity
Époisses: Pungent and rich, a Burgundian pairing for a Burgundian white
Mâconnais: A small goat cheese, chalky and bright against the wine’s weight

Sandre au Beurre Blanc (River Pike-Perch with Butter Sauce)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 4 sandre or pike-perch fillets, around 180g each, skin on
• 3 French shallots, very finely chopped
• 150ml dry white Burgundy
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 250g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 tbsp thick cream
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• Salt and white pepper
• Steamed potatoes, to serve

Instructions:

1. Put the shallots, white wine and vinegar in a small heavy pan and reduce over a medium heat until only two tablespoons of liquid remain.
2. Stir in the cream, which will help hold the sauce together, and bring to a bare simmer.
3. Lower the heat to its minimum and whisk in the cold butter a few cubes at a time, never letting the sauce boil.
4. Once glossy and thick, season with salt and white pepper and keep barely warm off the heat.
5. Score the fish skin lightly and season both sides.
6. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and cook the fillets skin side down for 4 minutes, pressing gently, until the skin is crisp.
7. Turn and cook for a further minute only, so the flesh stays just translucent at the centre.
8. Spoon the beurre blanc onto warm plates, set the fish on top and serve with steamed potatoes.

Sandre is the fish of Burgundy’s rivers and a traditional partner to the region’s finest whites. A grand cru of this stature has the concentration and length to stand beside a proper beurre blanc, while its acidity and mineral drive keep an enormous quantity of butter feeling weightless.