2022 Puligny-Montrachet, Château de Charodon, Burgundy

Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or. Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

Puligny-Montrachet Grand Cru, nestled in Burgundy, is renowned for crafting exquisite white wines from Chardonnay grapes. Its prestigious vineyards, including Le Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet, produce wines prized for their elegance and age-worthy character. These wines captivate with vibrant acidity, rich textures, and profound terroir-expressions, cementing their status among the world's finest.

Located just five minutes from Beaune, Château de Charodon is the project of Louis Vallet, his brother Thibault and their father, Bernard. The Vallet family is from Gevrey-Chambertin, where Bernard is still part-owner of the successful Pierre Bourrée estate. However, Louis decided to take a different direction. For many years, he lived the life of the flying winemaker, making two vintages each year: one in Burgundy and one in the Southern Hemisphere. He picked up experience from the likes of Pascal Marchand. He made his first vintage at Ch. de Charadon – a grand total of 1,200 bottles – in 2010. By 2021, he was producing more than 10 times this volume. While Louis stands to inherit several hectares from the family holdings, these are presently rented out on long term contracts; the production currently comes from a mix of bought-in fruit and farming contracts. This is a hugely exciting project which we are delighted to be a part of.