Named vineyard
Montrachet
Identity card
Grand cruAOPWhite
Burgundy › Côte de Beaune › Puligny-Montrachet · Recognised on 31 July 1937
- Grand cru
- Premier cru
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- A white grand cru of about 8 ha, in Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachet.
- At most 48 hl/ha and at least 12% natural alcohol.
- Defined as an appellation of origin by the Beaune court in 1921.
Grape varieties
White wine onlyChardonnay
Made from Chardonnay alone
Production rules
48
hl/ha
Maximum yield
12
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
9,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 15 June after the harvest
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 97 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 14 % ABV across 47 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 106 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Narrow strip low on an east-south-east slope, about 260 m
- Soils: Red, clayey, very stony soil over a thin bed of marl
- Climate: Cold night air drains down the slope: sheltered from frost
Wine style
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
14 November 2011
Cahier des charges homologué par le décret n° 2011-1531 du 14 novembre 2011, JORF du 16 novembre 2011. Appellation initialement reconnue par le décret du 31 juillet 1937.
Labelling terms
- The name may be followed by the words "grand cru"
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahiers des charges d'AOC publiés au BO-AGRI (décrets du 14 novembre 2011) — dont « Montrachet » et « Chambolle-Musigny »— Ministère de l'agriculture et de la souveraineté alimentaire — Bulletin officiel (BO-AGRI)
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Other sourceMontrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet et Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet— Wikipedia (anglais), recoupé avec Oxford Companion to Wine
A white grand cru shared between Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet: a narrow band lying across the slope in a shallow hollow at the foot of an east-south-east facing hillside, around 260 metres. Its largest part rests on a thin skin of marl over a bed less than a metre thick and very rich in iron oxide; the soil there is red, clayey, very stony and well-structured. About 8 hectares. In 1855 Lavalle placed it alone at the head of the great white wines.
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Montrachet
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