Chassagne-Montrachet has its fair share of great domaines - Bruno Colin and Louis Jadot are just two that spring to mind in a sizable list. But the great name in the village of Chassagne-Montrachet is undoubtedly Domaine Ramonet. While famous for their spectacular Chardonnays, the Ramonets have turned about half their estate over to Pinot Noir, thus producing around half as many reds as whites. The reds however have little to rival the superlative chardonnays (apart from superb value for money thanks to the popularity of the white), and it is the whites that today take centre stage.

A diverse portfolio of 12 wines make the Ramonet brothers (who were handed the estate in 1984 after grandfather Pierre then father Andre retired) some of the hardest working men in Burgundy. Four Grand Crus and eight Premier Crus are bottled on their 34-hectare domaine. The precision and talent of the Ramonet’s brothers are legendary. The whites exhibit a rare amalgam of amplitude, depth and precision and are simultaneously full and firm. However, problems with premature oxidation in the mid-90s, (and again in the 1995 and 1996 vintages) shook market confidence in the long celebrated vineyard, despite its reputation as the source of some of the world’s most age-worthy white wines.

Often made in single barrel quantities, the wines are very rare and the scarcity makes Ramonet Grands Crus highly collectable. Add their exceptional ageing potential - the wines are very long lived, notably so for a Burgundy wine - and you have a worthy acquisition for any cellar or portfolio. Prices at auction are high: a 12 bottle lot of 1979 Grand Cru Montrachet (avg score 91) sold for €49,417.46 at Sotheby’ in March 2019, more than 6k over its highest estimate. This comes as no real surprise, considering a single magnum of the 1982 vintage (average score 91) fetched over €9,000 more than double the upper end of estimate) in 2015. In 2019, prices for a 12 bottle case of Ramonet’s 2015 Montrachet were approximately €35,000, ranking it in 35th place in the most expensive Burgundy wines of the vintage. While prices for the Grands Crus are expensive, drinkers should consider some of the entry level village wines. Not ideal investments at this stage of the game, but perfect as a sundowner on a hot summer evening.