Domaine Paul Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Grandes Ruchottes 2019

This tiny, 2.13-hectare is rarely seen but is nonetheless one of Chassagne’s prime sites. It’s situated between La Romanée and En Cailleret, and on roughly the same line as Le Montrachet. Ramonet works over half of this vineyard (although he chooses to drop the Grandes part of the name on his label). The site sits at around 260 metres above sea level and has a southeast aspect and marly, limestone-rich soils. Pillot farms a 0.26-hectare parcel at the very top of the hill, where the topsoil is so thin that much of the land cannot even be planted. With so few growers it is not surprising that this vineyard is not so well-known, but the wine is always outstanding. Smoky or matchstick reductive notes are very typical, as is great finesse and purity, bright citrus and white florals along with a firm raciness, all reflecting the high altitude and rocky soils.