2021 Chateau de la Maltroye Chas.-Mtr. 1er Cru Clos Saint Jean

France / Burgundy / Cote de Beaune / Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Rouge

Château de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jean Rouge.
 
Burghound.com/Allen Meadows 90/100: "A cool, restrained and markedly earthy nose displays more deeply pitched aromas of various dark berries, spice, violet and a hint of wild strawberry. The sleek and well-detailed medium weight flavors possess a lovely sense of vibrancy that carries over to the youthfully austere and better-balanced finale".

Clos Saint-Jean is a Premier Cru vineyard located on the hillside above the streets and houses of Chassagne-Montrachet village. The site is planted to both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, making high-quality examples of both. It is the Clos Saint-Jean Premier Cru red wines that are of particular note, displaying rich, ripe characters despite their often lighter color.

The individual Clos Saint-Jean lieu-dit covers a little over 5 hectares of east-facing Côte d'Or midslope, but the wider site is considered to include Chassagne du Clos Saint-Jean (2ha) along the same slope to the south, with Les Rebichets (5.4ha) and Les Murées (1.6ha) below. These latter sites can take the Clos Saint-Jean title if the producer wishes, although they each have their own peculiarities.

The hillside above Clos Saint-Jean is occupied by a large quarry, which serves to demonstrate the area's soil profile. This soil is pebbly and chalky, underpinned by the limestone that is found along most of the Côte d'Or. The topsoil here generally consists of framents of this limestone and a deeply colored red clay, although this varies even within one vineyard. Although high quality reds and whites are produced across all sites here, the reds are generally held in higher regard, despite an often lighter color that belies their ageability.