Château Saint-Aubin Branco

Description

Château Saint‑Aubin Geographic situation and terroir: Appellation: Criots‑Bâtard‑Montrachet Grand Cru Sub‑region: Côte de Beaune The 1.57 ha Criots‑Bâtard‑Montrachet vineyard is the only Grand Cru entirely situated in the municipality of Chassagne‑Montrachet. At an altitude of 240 m it lies slightly lower than its neighbours Chevalier‑Montrachet and Montrachet. The soils of this plot, very well exposed, are composed of rock blocks and are relatively well drained. “Criots” comes from “creta”; the subsoil consists of Bathonian limestone, sometimes mixed with clays. Legend has it that, during the Crusades, a castle stood on the hill of Montrachet. The lord sent his only son to the Holy Land to fight. The man had a young lover whom he met at the “Clos de la Pucelle”; she bore him a son. Thus, the son who departed for the Crusades was called Chevalier‑Montrachet, and the illegitimate son, Bâtard‑Montrachet. When Chevalier‑Montrachet’s death was announced in the Holy Land, the lord accepted his illegitimate son as heir, proclaiming: “Welcome, bastard Montrachet!” The legend says the lord, annoyed by his young son’s cries, shouted in Burgundian dialect “a crio (he shouts) l’Bâtard”. After the castle’s destruction, the vineyards were named after these figures, preserving the tale. Vinification: Immediately after harvest, grapes are pressed whole‑bunches in a vertical pneumatic press, followed by 24 h of static destemming at 12 °C. The musts are then bottled directly, with alcoholic and malolactic fermentations occurring in a single 240‑litre barrel. The wine ages on lees for a total of 24 months, with no racking. Aging: 16 months in French oak barrels. The barrel is custom‑made each year specifically for this plot; it is first used for a first‑cru of the estate and then for the vinification of Criots‑Bâtard‑Montrachet. Ideal accompaniment: Delicious with prawns in saffron sauce.