Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet
Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France
Located directly downslope from the Le Montrachet itself, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet is one of five Grands Crus straddling the the two celebrated Chardonnay-producing villages of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.
With an area of just 3.68ha, Bienvenues is in fact the second smallest Grand Cru in Burgundy. The vineyard enjoys an ideal south-easterly aspect which encourages optimum ripening of the Chardonnay grapes. This, combined with the vineyard’s thin, rocky clay-limestone soil – very similar to that of Le Montrachet but just a little heavier – produces rich, powerful Chardonnays which yet retain good acidity and express a fine minerality. The best of them can mature well for two decades or more.
