Montrachet terroir

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The limestone-marl based slope predominantly faces southeast,

The vineyard is a 7.99 hectare (19.7 acre) rectangle whose length runs northeast to southwest and is bisected almost exactly in half by the communal boundaries of Puligny (to the north) and Chassagne (to the south). The limestone-marl based slope predominantly faces southeast, getting ideal morning and afternoon sun exposure while the very southern end of the site drops slightly more to the south and even southwest.

This orientation change is reflected in the way the  montrachet   vines are trained and with the southern end running northeast to southwest (along the rectangle) while the rest of the site has the vines running across the width of the rectangle (northwest to southeast).

Neigboring vineyards
The site is bordered by four other grand cru climats, all appending the Montrachet name. Chevalier-Montrachet is considered the best of them (although, as with all things Burgundian, the producer can be just as important as the vineyard) and lies on the slope above while Bâtard-Montrachet sits below with Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet below that on the Puligny side and Criots at its southern end on the Chassagne side.

History
The first mention of Montrachet came in the 13th Century, when the site was donated to the local Benedictine abbey. It grew in fame and prestige over the centuries seeing numerous owners across the church and local nobles.

As with much of the land owned either by the church or landed gentry, the vineyard was confiscated and sold off during the French Revolution, although the family of the Marquis de Laguiche was able to buy back some of its pre-revolutionary holdings and remains one of the larger landowners in the vineyard (Joseph Drouhin currently produces the wines from the Laguiche plots) .

 

 

 

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