The vineyards of Montrachet, on the border between the Burgundian villages of Puligny and Chassagne, are among the most prized in the world. The wines produced here, whites from chadronnay grapes, have incomparable depth of flavor and longevity. Five parcels, totalling less than 100 acres all together, carry the name: Le Montrachet itself, circled by its neighbors Chevalier Montrachet, Bâtard Montrachet, Bienvenues-Bâtard Montrachet, and Criots Bâtard Montrachet. (Burgundy's red-wine equivalent, the vineyards of Romanée-Conti and its neighbors La Tâche, Richebourg, etc.,, are located half an hour's drive to the northeast.) The name Montrachet (pronouced Mon-rachay) means "bald mountain," though some trees now cover the top of the hill behind the vineyards and adjacent limestone quarries.
Into this hallowed ground comes an American wine merchant by the name of Alex Gambal, originally from Washington, DC, whom we found wearing a Pike Place Fish t-shirt from Seattle when we met up with him five summers ago in Beaune. (See Cornichon's post, Beaune on the Fourth of July.)
According to Decanter Magazine, Gambal has purchased 3.5 hectares of vines, just under 10 acres, including some in Montrachet. He told the magazine he intends to farm the land biodynmically, plowing with a horse and hand-spraying. This raises the question of getting the horse to the vineyard, unless the stable is close by one of the world's most expensive vineyards. To be continued.
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