Chassagne-Montrachet 'Les Encégnières', Domaine Etienne Sauzet, 2023
Chassagne-Montrachet 'Les Encégnières', Domaine Etienne Sauzet, 2023
- 75cl
- 13%
- White Still
- Chardonnay
- Biodynamic
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Optimal drinking window: 2026 - 2029
Domaine Etienne Sauzet, located in Puligny-Montrachet, is one of Burgundy’s most esteemed estates. Established in the early 20th century, it has a well-earned reputation for crafting wines that exemplify purity, precision, and mineral-driven character.
What the critics say:
"The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Enseignères comes from a parcel just below Bâtard Montrachet owned by Sauzet. This has a crisp and taut Puligny-like bouquet with commendable mineralité. The palate is well balanced with a pretty peachy entry. It has fine depth and concentration offset by acidity with moderate complexity on the slightly honeyed finish. Fine. "
"Very pale with a lime streak. Seems light and early picked on the nose, then perfect maturity on the palate, with a little bit of white fruit and flesh, correct acidity and excellent length. Will be accessible quite early. Drink from 2026-2029. Tasted Oct 2024."
Les Encégnières sits just below the legendary Bâtard-Montrachet, sharing similar limestone-rich soils with excellent drainage. The elevated position captures morning sun while maintaining the mineral intensity that defines this corner of Chassagne. These chalky soils impart the wine's characteristic tension and saline backbone, creating whites that balance richness with crystalline precision.
Chassagne-Montrachet produces both reds and whites, though it's the Chardonnays that earn the headlines. The appellation sits at Burgundy's southern edge, where the wines tend towards more generosity than their Puligny neighbours yet retain that essential mineral spine. Premier cru vineyards like Les Encégnières benefit from ideal south-east exposures and proximity to the grand cru sites. The commune's reputation rests on wines that marry power with elegance, offering more immediate charm than the austere whites of Chablis.
The 2023 growing season in Burgundy unfolded like a cautionary tale about climate change, then pulled off a last-minute redemption that left everyone rather stunned. After a warm, early spring pushed budbreak ahead of schedule, the vines endured a thoroughly miserable summer of persistent rain and cool temperatures that had growers muttering darkly about rot and dilution. Just when things looked dire, September arrived with glorious sunshine and dry winds that concentrated the fruit and saved the harvest—though not without some frantic sorting in the cellars.
What emerged from this meteorological rollercoaster are wines that wear their vintage on their sleeve: Pinot Noirs with bright, singing acidity and red fruit that feels almost crystalline in its purity, whilst the Chardonnays show remarkable tension and mineral drive. The reds are drinking beautifully now if you fancy immediate pleasure, but we suspect the better villages and premiers crus will reward patience over the next decade. It's not a powerhouse vintage, but there's something genuinely charming about these wines—they remind us why we fell for Burgundy in the first place.
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