Arnaud Baillot Chassagne Montrachet 2022

Arnaud Baillot works from Beaune in the heart of the Cote d'Or, and this white comes from Chassagne-Montrachet, one of the great Chardonnay villages of the Cote de Beaune. The vineyards sit on a mix of limestone and clay-rich marl, the fragmented Burgundian geology that lends the wine its precision and stony backbone, while the east-facing slopes and cool nights preserve acidity through ripening. The wine is fermented and aged twelve months in oak barrels, a portion of them new. Barrel fermentation gives vanilla and toasted, bready notes, and the malolactic conversion of sharp malic acid to softer lactic acid, together with ageing on fine lees, builds the creamy texture and nutty depth typical of good white Burgundy. The colour is bright gold. The nose is layered, with white peach, citrus, hazelnut and white flowers over a subtle oak spice. The palate is medium to full-bodied and rounded, the ripe fruit balanced by fresh acidity and a saline, mineral finish. Serve at 12 to 13 degrees in a large glass.