Wine Advisor
Ramonet, Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes Blanc 1990
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This bottle of the 1990 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes was showing just a touch of oxidation in its complex bouquet, but the wine's inherent vigor and depth make me suspect that this was simply a slightly advanced bottle and that there are still pristine examples out there. The nose reveals lovely notes of confit citrus, iodine, beeswax and oatmeal, with hints of vanilla and fino sherry. On the palate, the wine is ample and glossy, with great concentration and depth and lovely precision and grip on the long, focused finish despite the rather evolved character of the nose. A wine I'd love to encounter again.
About the Producer
Domaine Ramonet is one of the finest producers in Burgundy, known for the Chardonnay from Chassagne Montrachet village to Montrachet Grand Cru. Domaine Ramonet has been producing consistently high quality Chardonnay in Chassagne Montrachet for 3 generations, it is difficult to talk about Chassagne Montrachet without mentioning Ramonet. Pierre Ramonet came to Burgundy in the late 1920s with nothing more than a knapsack, he started off buying grapes and vinifying them, then later buying his first vineyard in the 1930s. Domaine Ramonet gained a lot of attention very soon after bottling his first wines in his estate. Clive Cotes even wrote ‘Ramonet in white is the equivalent of Henri Jayer or the DRC in red’. By 1950s, Pierre has acquired a handsome holding of Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards in the Montrachet hill. Amusingly, when Pierre Ramonet has saved enough money in the 1978 and decided to buy a plot in the mighty Montrachet vineyard, he went to the lawyer’s office in Beaune and paid in a thick wad of cash.
