Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée

Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...

(AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard

Vineyard

A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...

 for white wine from Chardonnay

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...

 in the Côte de Beaune

Côte de Beaune

The Côte de Beaune area is the southern part of the Côte d'Or, the limestone ridge that is home to the great names of Burgundy wine. The Côte de Beaune starts between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune, and extends southwards for about 25 km to the River Dheune...

 subregion of Burgundy

Burgundy wine

Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...

. It is situated across the border between the two communes of Chassagne-Montrachet

Chassagne-Montrachet

Chassagne-Montrachet is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.It used to be known under the name Chassagne-le-Haut, but the name was changed to Chassagne-Montrachet by a decrete on November 27, 1879...

 and Puligny-Montrachet

Puligny-Montrachet

Puligny-Montrachet is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.In the middle of the Côte de Beaune, it is a well-known appellation of Burgundy wine, containing one of the most famous vineyards in the world, Montrachet.-Population:-Wine:...

 and produces what many consider to be the greatest dry white wine in the world. It is surrounded by four other Grand Cru vineyards all having "Montrachet" as part of their names. Montrachet itself is generally considered superior to its four Grand Cru neighbours.

Montrachet is located in the south of the Côte de Beaune, which is the southern half of the Côte d'Or

Côte d'Or (escarpment)

The Côte d'Or is a limestone escarpment in Burgundy, France that lends its name to the department which was formed around it...

, which in turn is the most important of the several wine producing subregions of Burgundy

Burgundy wine

Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...

.

The Montrachet vineyard is almost equally divided between Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. The wine from the Chassagne side is usually known as Le Montrachet while the wine from the Puligny side is known as Montrachet.

Production

In 2008, 7.99 hectares (19.7 acre) of vineyard surface was in production within the AOC, and 349 hectoliters of wine was produced, corresponding to just under 47,000 bottles.

AOC regulations

Wines from Montrachet are composed almost entirely of Chardonnay, unlike in other white Burgundy wines, where up to 15% of Pinot Blanc can be added. Like most French wines, are referred to by their place of origin rather than by variety. The allowed base yield

Yield (wine)

In viticulture, the yield is a measure of the amount of grapes or wine that is produced per unit surface of vineyard, and is therefore a type of crop yield...

 of Montrachet is 40 hectoliter per hectare, and the minimum grape maturity is 12.0 per cent potential alcohol.

Producers

There were 18 owners and 26 producers as of October 2007 (an owner can own different subdivisions and/or lease to different producers). The largest owner is the Laguiche family who leases its subdivision to Joseph Drouhin. The highest prices are typically charged for Montrachet produced by Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, often abbreviated to DRC, is an estate in Burgundy, France that produces white and red wine. It is widely considered among the world's greatest wine producers, and DRC bottles are among the world's most expensive...

, which owns 0.67 hectares (1.7 acre) and produces around 3,000 bottles per year.

The last sale of a subdivision occurred in 1993 when the Crédit Foncier

Credit Foncier

Credit Foncier is the name of* Crédit Foncier de France, a mortgage bank in France.* Credit Foncier of America, a defunct real estate company in the U.S....

 bank (owner of Château de Puligny) bought 428m² (4606ft²) for over half a million Euros.

Montrachet wines are some of the most expensive white wines in the world: prices can range from 55 EUR to 1800 EUR per 75 cl bottle. The price depends on the vineyard (Montrachet is typically more expensive than the other four), the vintage, and the grower (in Burgundy, vineyards are divided among multiple growers, and there can be substantial variation in quality).

Montrachet and its Grand Cru neighbours

Four additional Grand Cru vineyards lie alongside Montrachet and share its name. These are Chevalier-Montrachet

Chevalier-Montrachet

Chevalier-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Puligny-Montrachet. Bâtard-Montrachet borders on the Grand Cru vineyard Montrachet and on the...

, which is situated immediately above Montrachet on the slope, Bâtard-Montrachet

Bâtard-Montrachet

Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the communes of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet...

, which is situated immediately below Montrachet and is separated from it by the Route des Grands Crus

Route des Grands Crus

The Route des Grands Crus is the name of a tourist route situated in Burgundy, France.The approximately 60-kilometre route runs along the foot of the Côte d'Or escarpment, from Dijon in the north to Santenay in the south. Thus it runs through many of the great appellations of Burgundy wine, hence...

, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet

Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet

Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Puligny-Montrachet...

, which is situated immediately beyond Bâtard-Montrachet, in the direction of Puligny-Montrachet, and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet

Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet

Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Chassagne-Montrachet...

, which is situated next to Bâtard-Montrachet in the direction of Chassagne-Montrachet. Chevalier-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet lie entirely within the commune of Puligny-Montrachet. Criots-Batard-Montrachet lies entirely within Chassagne-Montrachet. Batard-Montrachet, like Montrachet, is split between the two villages.

Grand Cru	Relative position	Vineyard surface (2007)	Average production (2003-2007)
Montrachet	Centre	7.99 hectares (19.7 acre)	310 hl
Bâtard-Montrachet Bâtard-Montrachet Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the communes of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet...	East	11.09 hectares (27.4 acre)	502 hl
Chevalier-Montrachet Chevalier-Montrachet Chevalier-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Puligny-Montrachet. Bâtard-Montrachet borders on the Grand Cru vineyard Montrachet and on the...	West	7.08 hectares (17.5 acre)	305 hl
Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Puligny-Montrachet...	Northeast	3.7 hectares (9.1 acre)	163 hl
Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Chassagne-Montrachet...	South	1.57 hectares (3.9 acre)	73 hl