Montagny....premier cru or premier priced?

I have spent a significant part of this year in Burgundy, drinking and researching its wines, whites in particular. After countless hangovers and many covert missions to the bottle bank, I feel I have got a pretty good grip on what is produced here and what makes it so special. So when a festival in Montagny was advertised I was straight on it and ready to go. What was I expecting? A sleepy village of vinous fame with doors flung open and wine being poured? Probably. A hog roast of Boeuf Bourgignon being served from a coal fire? Definitely. Accordions? It would be rude not to.

When it came to the wine, surprisingly, I drew a slight blank. Well I knew it was white, light, bright, lemony, quite smart, erm, I used to sell it as the "Chablis of the South" so one would suppose it tastes like….. a sunny Chablis? I was giving myself my own sales patter. What on earth distinguished it from the other appellations in Burgundy? This simply would not do. Research had to commence......

Montagny is an appellation in the Cote Chalonnaise, in between the Maconnais and the Cote d'Or and has been since 1936. The producing communes allowed to be included stretch outside the village itself to Buxy, Saint-Vallerin and Jully-les-Buxy. Montagny is one of the only appellations in Burgundy to only produce white wine. The wine is based solely upon the Chardonnay grape although some Pinot Gris is grown on some of the old plots and is somewhat tolerated within the blend.

The village itself sits on the base of an amphitheatre-like geological stage with the vineyards ascending outwards on the surrounding slopes. The commune faces east and south-east with an altitude of 250-400 metres (Chablis Grand cru reach a maximum of 225 metres) and so the Montagny vineyards are often some of the last to be harvested in Burgundy. The base soil is Bajocien limestone with an uprising of Kimmeridgian limestone appearing at Buxy, the same soil that dominates the geology in Chablis. Although not proven, the mineral content of the soils is often described as imparting”minerality" to the wine, flavours of pebbles, gunflint and chalk are often noted in Chablis and indeed Montagny.

The most striking fact about Montagny is the number of vineyards that have been given premier cru status. The total area is 298 hectares with 199 of them being Premier cru status; approximately two-thirds are given the second top classification in Burgundy, an unbelievable percentage. The total across the whole of Burgundy for premier cru wines is just 15%; surely Montagny is the hidden gem of Burgundy if this figure is anything to go by?

This premier status seemed to me to be at odds with the lack of celebrity enjoyed by the commune. I wanted to see what the wine enthusiasts had to say so I logged on to Snooth.com and cellartracker.com. Both sites were littered with comments that " the quality does not justify the cost.” Many suggested they were sucked in by the premier cru status, but the quality was nothing over a standard white wine. There did however seem to be a swath of people who had no complaints and enjoyed the wine, but there were very few blistering reviews. The comment that sums up the general feeling came from Serge Birbrair on cellartracker.com, when describing the 2007 Louis Latour Montagny 1er Cru La Grande Roche:

"Quintessential "Sell to the masses, drink with the classes" kind of wine."

The wines mostly sell in the £10-£20 mark so a certain expectation of quality is natural. From reading the series of mostly bland but pleasant notes on both sites, I can fully understand why consumers are feeling cheated. Again this was simply not good enough; I had to find out for myself. If I drink in the village from small producers am I more likely to give a full feeling of the terroir?

I set off and drifted north to the near-mountainous hill range in the Cote Chalonnaise where afternoon mists had descended upon the sleepy hamlet. The festival had certainly not got going and there were just a few hundred people milling about. I picked up my glass and tasting tickets and started my way around, notebook in hand. My expectations were mixed but I was desperate to get to the bottom of this appellation, so best foot forward I moved in for the first taste. The people could not have been lovelier, no snippish sales people and no clueless farmer-types, a quiet passion emitted from the winemakers but nothing was pushed, information only given when asked specifically.


So here is what was on offer, prices are naturally in Euros. Pay particular attention to the vintages as I think they made a massive difference. Also if there was no specific vineyard named then the wine would have been blended from different parcels.

Domaine de Montorge 1er cru, 2009, 9E:- Bitter and green apple but a lovely weight and texture. It almost had a Roussane-like feel to it, pith, chalk and minerals, and lots of it.

Cave de Bissy, 1er cru Les Coudrettes, 2007, 7E45:- Fragrant, light with a characteristic pith and lemon note. A very fresh wine and matched my expectations.

Cave de Bissy, 1er cru Les Pidances, 20% oak aged, 2008, 8E70:- A deeper, almost smoky nose, the palate was much more creamy than "Les Coudrettes". The overall flavour was similar with but more peach and lemon flavours.

The winemaker explained that the cru of Les Coudrettes, although abutting Les Pidances, had more Calcium content, potentially adding to the more intense flavour. This in union with the much cooler 07 vintage created two quite different wines but a common mineral theme running through them both.

Domaine Berthenet, Tete de Cuvee, 2009, 8E:- A concentrated nose of green apple and gooseberry with an explosive palate of more green fruit. It was very young with still a hint of fizz. This wine was made from the 09 "free-run" juices, showing a fruitier flavour than wine made from the fully-pressed grapes. In short, the top wine from the vineyard.

Domaine Berthenet, 1er cru Les Saint Morilles, 2008, 9E50:- Greengage and lemon pith on the palate, much more acidity, a finer texture and feel to the wine.

Monsieur Berthenet said that across the board the 09 vintage "has more fruit" and the 08 vintage had " increased minerality." Not being able to be drawn on his preference, he preferred the typical French position of sitting on le fence and thus describing them as "different, but both excellent in their own ways."

So how about the 2010 vintage? According to Monsieur Berthenet the vintage “will be a fine one, although the weather conditions have brought about a 20% decrease in yield, good for the consumer and bad for us."

Domaine Michel-Andreotti, Les Guignottes, 2008, 7E50:- Again an apple scent and subtle sweet spice and the ever-increasing lemon pith. This wine had been 20% oaked in old barrels adding the delicious creamy texture to the wine.

Domaine Michel-Andreotti, 1er cru, 2009, 9E:- Apricot juice and honeysuckle on the nose. Almost like a soft Viognier. The palate however was still tight and had a sharp minerality, albeit more concentrated than anything previously tasted.

Chateau De La Saule, 2008 7E50:- Simple and light, much like a young Chablis. This wine was un-oaked and from young vines.

Chateau De La Saule, 2008 8E50:- Apricot and lemon on the nose, not the austere type of Montagny but not the generous type either, dare I say it, a typical Montagny with subtle oak?

Domaine Laurent Cognard, Les Bassets, 2008, 10E:- A powerful nose, yet instead of the typical lemon scent there was a more generous and inviting tangerine and grape smell with a hint of flowers. Far more complex than anything before. The palate was powerful but again with a more tropical edge than pure mineral.

Domaine Laurent Cognard, Le Vieux Chateau, 2009, 14E:- Cardomon, lemon, quince and a nice creamy oak edge, vanilla and all spice. The palate was incredibly limey and much more concentrated than the other producers. There was a price tag to match but the quality level was in a different league. Le Vieux Chateau is one of the top climats in the area and so justifiably this should and was the best of the day.

Cave de Buxy, 2007, 6E60:- An intense and smoky nose, I was surprised as this was the lowest price wine so far, not as austere as the others yet with the same citrus infused palate.

So that was what I tasted, I was pleased as there were no bad wines, I enjoyed tasting them, highlights notably being the Cave de Bissy, Buxy and Domaine Laurent Cognard. There was also a definite theme running through the appelation; light, fragrant, fresh and an abundance of cirtus flavour.

Disappoiningly my conclusion is that the Premier Cru system in Montagny had no tangible effect on the quality of the wine, the wines were certainly different but in terms of quality there was no detectable difference. The biggest variation was vintage, followed by producer.

2007:- a lean and light vintage with typical minerality, lots of acid and a light body feel but plenty of overall flavour

2008:- a soft and fruity vintage with more fragrance than 07, weightier in body but less acidity than 2007.

2009:- the heaviest of all the wines, richer fruit flavours than the previous vintages. Still young in some samples but do not cellar for too long as the acidity was markedly lower, so drink within two years.

2010:- Saved apparently by the late sun in September and no conclusions can be given until wines are on the market.

There is still much to learn about this appellation and where the style is going? With the fairly hefty prices being asked in the U.K. It feels to me like there should be more to Montagny than "minerality", surely Chablis has got the calling card for that? Alsace Riesling and Loire Sauvignon Blanc have got the fresh and zingy thing down to a fine art, and oaky Chardonnay is arguably done with more aplomb further North or South?

I understand that the wine and restaurant market are looking for Cote d'Or quality at lower prices and in theory, Montagny 1er cru seems a perfect fit, like its neighbour Rully, but if the quality does not match up, the consumers will soon turn their backs.

There is an undoubtable broad appeal to Montagny 1er cru, yet with over-performing areas such as Chablis and Macon-Villages consistently delivering hit after hit of flavour at more often than not, much lower prices, Montagny are treading a dangerous path. With the recession not clearing as quickly as we had hoped, what can simple wines that costs £15 do to entice the customer? Print the Premier cru label in bold? I joke, but I do fear they will price themselves out of the market unless things change.

Please do not feel I have given up, the bee has set up a permanent hive in my bonnet. I shall watch and drink with patience with an eye-brow raised in anticipation.

I have faith Montagny, I really do, the soil, producers, marketing are all there, I am just waiting for the wine, just show me the goods and I'll be a happy boy.

Any thoughts?

Bon aperitif