Au Pied du Mont Chauve : Saint-Aubin 1er cru "En Remilly" 2021

Tasting Notes and Serving Suggestions for the Saint-Aubin 1er Cru "En Remilly" 2021 from Au Pied du Mont Chauve

Tasting

Color

The color shows a pale yellow to golden hue, luminous and bright, with silvery highlights.

Nose

The nose reveals beautiful aromatic complexity dominated by intense citrus notes, notably lemon and lime, alongside nuances of grapefruit and bergamot. These aromas mingle with white-fleshed orchard fruits such as pear and apple, with subtle touches of apricot. The bouquet gains floral dimensions evoking white blossoms and beeswax, as well as a pronounced mineral expression. Aging in barrels brings delicate notes of almond, hazelnut, and a discreet hint of cinnamon, perfectly integrated into the whole.

Palate

On the palate, the wine is structured and intense, with fine concentration that contrasts with its relatively pale color. The palate unfolds aromas of white-fleshed fruits and citrus, supported by a bright acidity that gives the wine a saline character and remarkable linearity. The texture is both silky and fleshy, offering a harmonious balance between richness and freshness. The finish lingers with persistence, leaving a tangy impression accompanied by notes of citrus, white fruits, and saline minerality.

Food and wine pairings

This Saint-Aubin 1er Cru "En Remilly" 2021 is an ideal match for seafood and shellfish, notably oysters, scallops, and lobster grilled with melted butter. It also pairs beautifully with firm-fleshed fish such as sea bass, turbot, or halibut, whether simply grilled or prepared with beurre blanc sauces. Creamy poultry dishes, foie gras preparations, and soft-ripened cheeses such as Brie or Camembert also make excellent pairings. Asparagus and artichokes, despite their reputation as challenging foods to match, find lovely harmony with this wine thanks to its mineral profile.

Serving and cellaring

The Saint-Aubin 1er Cru "En Remilly" 2021 is best enjoyed at a temperature between 12 and 14°C. This wine has cellaring potential through around 2031.

A Saint-Aubin Premier Cru with a mineral character and Burgundian elegance

The estate

A daughter of one of Burgundy’s greatest winegrowing families, Francine Picard took over in the late 1990s the estate historically run by her father. The Domaine Au Pied du Mont Chauve spans the communes of Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, and Saint-Aubin, in the heart of some of the finest climats and terroirs of winegrowing Burgundy.

With a view to creating synergy between the land and the wines, Francine Picard cultivates her parcels in accordance with biodynamic principles and applies herself, with passion and extreme attention to detail, to producing wines that reflect the identity of their terroir.

From a 110-hectare vineyard farmed using “agro-ecology,” the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of Domaine Au Pied du Mont Chauve are recognized for their quality, precision, and elegance.

Since May 2019, Antoine Lepetit de la Bigne, a specialist in biodynamic viticulture, has joined the Domaine’s team as Technical Director.

The vineyard

The climat "En Remilly" lies on the heights of Mont Chauve, in the immediate vicinity of the legendary Montrachet vineyard. This parcel of Saint-Aubin Premier Cru benefits from an optimal south and southwest exposure, encouraging full ripening of the grapes while preserving lovely freshness. The soils are composed mainly of shallow clay-limestone, dotted with numerous stones that ensure excellent drainage and contribute to the hallmark mineral expression of the wines from the appellation. The vines, planted in the 1980s, have reached an ideal maturity that brings complexity and depth to the wine. The estate’s annual production from this climat is limited to around 3,000 bottles, underscoring the confidential nature of this cuvée.

The vintage

The 2021 vintage in Bourgogne began with a relatively favorable spring, followed by a summer period marked by significant rainfall in June and July, requiring heightened vigilance in the vineyards. August slowed veraison before a mild, sunny September allowed ripeness to be fine-tuned. Harvest took place during the third week of September under excellent weather conditions, enabling the picking of perfectly ripe grapes while retaining remarkable acidity. This vintage is characterized by wines with a lighter color than in previous years, high acidity, vibrant floral aromas, great mineral freshness, and moderate alcohol levels, a profile reminiscent of the elegant 2001 and 2011 vintages.

Winemaking and aging

The grapes for the Saint-Aubin 1er Cru "En Remilly" 2021 are harvested by hand and transported in small crates to preserve their integrity. After rigorous sorting, whole clusters are gently pressed in a pneumatic press. The must is then settled for about twenty-four hours in stainless-steel tanks before being transferred by gravity into French oak barrels for alcoholic fermentation. This takes place with indigenous yeasts and lasts three to four weeks. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged for ten months in French oak barrels (20% new oak and 80% one- or two-wine barrels), followed by a period in stainless-steel tank for a total aging time of eighteen months. During barrel aging, regular bâtonnage is carried out every two weeks to one month to enhance the wine’s texture and complexity.

Grape variety

100% Chardonnay