It is ironical that the hillside of Montrachet, producing Burgundy's
most prestigious white wine (and in some say the world's most complex),
should look so unprepossessing. The etymology of the place-name is actually
instructive : the word rachet refers to a poor type of soil where
only scrawny bushes can grow.
It is therefore on this "poor, hard, infertile" soil, which geologists
call Bathonian limestone, that the Chardonnay grape develops this unique
"terroir" character.
Montrachet is full bodied and luscious, yet elegant. It is only after
a few years in bottle that it will develop its famous complexity and richness.
Nose and aftertaste are reminiscent of exotic fruit, honey, liquorice,
grilled almond and many other flavours which wine lovers over the years
have attempted to analyse. But it is perhaps a musical word which can best
describe this glorious wine : a symphony of sensations. |
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