Montagny 1er cru Le Cloux 2023 Domaine Aline Beauné

The Montagny 1er Cru Le Cloux 2023 from Domaine Aline Beauné is a white Burgundy Chardonnay of remarkable precision and minerality, born from a young and ambitious domaine that is quickly establishing itself as one of the most demanding signatures in the Montagny appellation. Rated 93/100 by Revue du Vin de France, this single-vineyard Premier Cru testifies to the rare talent of a winemaker whose rigorous and respectful approach to terroir produces wines of the highest calibre, with a quality-to-price ratio that is difficult to match in Burgundy.

The terroir of Le Cloux

The climat Le Cloux is one of 49 officially recognized Premier Crus of the Montagny appellation, nestled at the southern tip of the Côte Chalonnaise in Saône-et-Loire. The vineyard, positioned high on the hillside with an east to south-east exposure, rests on the argilo-calcareous soils characteristic of this region, with a subsoil composed of marls and clays from the Lower Jurassic period on the slopes, and hard bajocian limestone at the summit. This Jurassic bedrock, nearly 175 million years old, is the source of the tense, saline minerality that distinguishes the finest Montagny wines. The vineyard's altitude, between 250 and 400 metres, combined with a temperate climate leaning gently continental, gives these wines their natural freshness and lively acidity, allowing them to age gracefully. Chardonnay alone is cultivated across the entire appellation, a variety for which this calcareous and marly terroir is particularly well suited. The monks of Cluny Abbey recognized its excellence as far back as the Middle Ages, preferring these wines to all others.

Tasting notes

The colour is pale yellow with green glints, clear and bright, with beautiful transparency. The nose opens elegantly with floral aromas of rose and white flowers, accompanied by notes of exotic fruits, fresh almonds, and a precise, incisive minerality. On the palate, the wine reveals itself as powerful and well-structured while preserving great finesse. The material is ample and generous, with lively, fresh acidity that brings tension and straightness, and a saline, persistent finish that bears the mark of fine calcareous terroir. This is a Burgundian Chardonnay that is both gourmand and mineral, immediately seductive yet promised a beautiful evolution in the cellar over five to eight years.

The domaine

Aline Beauné founded her domaine in 2018 in Montagny-lès-Buxy, following 13 years of experience managing the vinification at a renowned Côte de Beaune domaine. When the contract with the Buxy cooperative cellar expired on 5.5 hectares of family-owned vineyards, she seized the opportunity to create her own domaine, with the ambition of producing wines of the highest quality from the terroirs of Montagny, Buxy, Saint-Vallerin, and Jully-lès-Buxy. Committed to converting to organic farming, she eliminated herbicides and chemical treatments, favouring biodynamic preparations to revitalize the soils. In the cellar, ageing combines stainless steel vats and oak barrels, with very restrained use of new wood, never more than 10% on Premier Crus, so that the terroir can express itself fully and without artifice.

Food pairings

This Montagny 1er Cru Le Cloux pairs beautifully with pan-seared scallops in brown butter, grilled lobster, sole meunière, sweetbread in cream sauce, or Bresse chicken in sauce. It will also find fine harmony with pressed-paste cheeses such as Comté aged 18 months or alpine Beaufort. Served between 10 and 12 °C, it will reveal all the finesse and minerality of its terroir.