x
  • Country ranking ?

    630
  • Producer ranking ?

    104
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    White fish

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

Close

The Story

The Montrachet family consists of grand five Grands Crus grown in the two villages of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. These two share the Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet appellations. Chevalier and Bienvenues belong to Puligny, Criots belongs to Chassagne. These Grands Crus are the most southerly of the Côte-d'Or, and lie between Meursault in the north and Santenay in the south. Their origins go back to the Middle Ages - the work of the Cistercian abbey of Maizières and the Lords of Chagny. The wines of Montrachet (pronounced Mon-rachay) came fully into their own in the 17th century. There is no argument : this is the finest expression of the Chardonnay grape anywhere on earth. The Grand Cru appellations date from 31 July, 1937.

 

The underlying rocks date from the Jurassic, 175 million years BC. Exposures lie to the east and the south. Altitudes: 265-290 metres (Chevalier) ; 250-270 metres (Montrachet) ; 240-250 metres (Bâtard, Bienvenues, Criots). In the " Climat " of Montrachet, the soils are thinnish and lie on hard limestone traversed by a band of reddish marl. In Chevalier, the soils are thin and stony rendzinas derived from marls and marly-limestones. In the Bâtard " climat " soils are brown limestone which are deeper and, at the foot of the slope, more clayey. 

 

The power and aromatic persistence of these lofty wines demands aristocratic and sophisticated dishes with complex textures : « pâté » made from fattened goose liver, of course, and caviar. Lobster, crawfish, and large wild prawns, with their powerful flavours and firm textures, pay well-deserved homage to the wine and match its opulence. Firm-fleshed white fish such as monkfish would be equally at home in their company. And let us not forget well-bred and well-fattened free-range poultry whose delicate flesh, with the addition of a cream-and-mushroom sauce, will be lapped up in the unctuous and noble texture of this wine. Even a simple piece of veal, fried or in sauce, would be raised to heavenly heights by the Montrachet's long and subtle acidity.

Serving temperature : 12 to 14 °C.

 


 

 

Close

Wine Information

2004 Harvest / At the Olympic Games, which took place last summer while the grapes were ripening, victory often depends on few things: a few centimetres or a few seconds, with the complicity of diverse circumstances that are beyond the athlete's control - luck is among them! even though the talent and the work accomplished the months and years before the competition are essential.

It is the same for the vigneron. The challenge that is proposed by the vintage is of course won or lost depending on the rigour of the "philosophy" he has applied, the soundness of the decisions he has taken over the year, but nothing is possible without some elements that are beyond his control like the favour of the climatic conditions... and luck! Things often depend on the number of sunny or rainy days and the "window" that opens the way to victory is narrow, often very narrow, even though we only take advantage of it according to the work that was done all along the year.

2004 is a year when the way was maybe more than ever blocked by obstacles and tests, as though Nature had decided, this year, to give the vigneron a complete catalogue of the difficulties it is able to imagine.

Yet, the winter and early spring were promising: February and March were dry with some favourable frosts. April and May were also dry and hot for the season, making the work in the vineyards (pruning, disbudding and first treatments) easier. Nevertheless, as a sign of upcoming difficulties, a significant bunch setting announcing a large crop followed the precocious bud break, in spite of the severe disbudding we did. It seems that the exaggerated heat of last Spring favoured the growth of exceptionally developed flowers.

Then, as a confirmation of the famous saying: "the wind that blows on Palm Sunday will be the wind of the year", the dominant southern and western winds totally changed the look of the countryside. The climatic conditions, that had been dry for the fast few months, became first damp and hot from the middle of June, with even hail in May, luckily of no consequence, then damp and cool in July and August.

The enemy that appeared virulent and implacable in the middle of Spring was not so much the mildew as the oïdium. The oïdium left its mark on 2004, mostly on Chardonnay, but also on Pinot, which is rare. The only efficient remedy we used in the middle of June, when the disease broke out, then regularly afterwards, was some sulphur powder. Without renouncing our biological treatments, we managed to control that curse quite well.

Meanwhile, the flowering occurred during the last days of dry weather, between June 10th and l5th, under very favourable conditions. There was no shatter at all. The bunches of grapes were so big and full of berries that the large crop that we already anticipated in March was confirming itself. Fortunately, the older vineyards and the fine vines, that represent the greater part of the Domaine, were not affected by those extreme conditions, but we realized in June that it was necessary to thin out the younger vineyards (green harvest). This work was done in a refined and systematic way, often vine by vine, with extra staff during the entire summer.

In early August, even before the veraison, we could observe botrytis in the wet areas and on the vines that were loaded with big swollen berries.

At the end of the third week of August, things looked rather gloomy: the oïdium was still threatening, the mildew was attacking the upper young leaves, the botrytis was present, the damp conditions were persevering and it seemed that the yields would be large despite the green harvest... All these factors were putting into question the maturation and the sanitary condition of the grapes.

Later, on August 23rd, "to crown it all", some villages in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits were very badly hit by hail. Our vineyards were also, but not so severely and in a very uneven manner: the lower part of the Romanée-St-Vivant and the Grands-Echezeaux were the most affected vineyards, but we observed also that, even if the leaves were slashed to pieces in those areas, the grapes resisted quite well. At this point, we already knew that the harvest would be difficult and very selective.

And then - miracle! : on August 25th until the end of our harvest, that is to say until October 5th, there was not the slightest drop of rain in Burgundy: six weeks of dry weather, luminous days and not too hot. The vineyards that never suffered from stress during the summer could profit to a maximum from the soil water reserves and the maturation literary exploded. We gained an average of 1 degree a week, up to 1,5 degree the third week of September. The acidities remained steady. The rot totally dried up.

In view of our small yields and fine vines, we were ready to harvest on September 20th. We preferred, however, to wait until the 25th. It was a good decision, since after a start in cool weather, the temperatures became warmer and a maturation stage by concentration began, which was particularly favourable to the last vineyards we harvested.

We started harvesting the younger vines on September 25th. This was the longest - 11 days - and the most difficult harvest we had experienced for a long time because of the very meticulous selection we required from our teams of pickers. We chose to limit ourselves to only one picking, but the selection both in the vineyards and on the sorting table at the winery was perfectly performed. The rotten grapes and the berries that had been hit by hail were eliminated, sometimes one by one. The grapes that we put into barrels were fully ripe and healthy. Our staff deserve that we pay tribute to them.

As a result: there is no cuvee under 13°; vinifications are over and most cuvees are 14° or more. We observed the same phenomenon as in 1999: the figgy berries, that were numerous this year, only released their hyper-sugared juice at the end of the fermentation. This phenomenon, which proves high maturity, also permitted longer macerations.

At the time of this writing, devatting is under way. After a few days of rain, the sun has returned to Burgundy. The vineyard is asleep, under a summer sky, in the middle of its glittering red and golden leaves falling little by little to the ground.

It is too early today to give a definitive opinion on these newborn wines. At the time of devatting, they show beautiful crimson colours, slightly purple, that are typical of good years. Bouquets are distinct and fruity. In the mouth, we can detect firmness because of good acidities, but also "sap" and a body that announces wines of good volume. But we still have to wait for the malolactic fermentations, that we of course do not want to hasten, to have a more precise idea of the quality of the vintage.

In conclusion, we have the deep feeling that we were close to defeat in 2004, but also that we managed to take advantage of the extraordinary opportunity that the month of September gave us. We were hoping for it, but it was nevertheless miraculous.

Isn't this the challenge of the whole history of Burgundy when each year we have to brave northern and often difficult climatic conditions, but which, despite ail the obstacles they put in the way of the vigneron, will alone allow a complete, true and fascinating expression of Pinot Noir.

This year, the yield control and the meticulous selection were once again key-factors for success and had decisive influence on quality.
In 2004 more than ever, quality will depend on whether maturity was achieved or not.

As regards quantity, the successive operations we performed in order to control the yields and, in addition, the losses due to hail, resulted in a small crop.

Please find below the harvest dates and yields for each wine:

Harvest dates Yields
Romanée-Conti ................. Sept. 30th ............................ 26,55 hl/ha
La Tâche .......................... Sept. 25th&26th ................... 26,35 hl/ha
Richebourg ....................... Sept. 29th ............................ 27,25 hl/ha
Romanée-St-Vivant .......... Sept. 30th, Oct. 1st&2nd ...... 28,30 hl/ha
Grands-Echezeaux ............ Sept. 27th&28th ................... 25,50 hl/ha
Echezeaux ........................ Oct. 2nd, 3rd&4th ................ 26,50 hl/ha
Montrachet ...................... Oct. 5th ............................... 40,00 hl/ha

Close

Vintage 2004

2004 VINTAGE in Burgundy

2004 will be remembered as the year of wonderful surprises. The month of September was hot, dry and sunny contributing to an excellent harvest which in turn gave birth to fruity, elegant wines.
The harvest started on the 13th September in Burgundy, the Mâconnais and the Côte Chalonnaise during a long awaited spell of mild weather following a summer characterised by climatic instability. 

These conditions slowed down the colouring of the grapes, disturbed the start of ripening and provided ideal conditions for the development of oidium. Luckily the return of a long period of warmth and sun from the beginning of September onwards accelerated the ripening process with a sharp increase in sugars. 

This summery weather accompanied by a warm drying wind also allowed for the vines to maintain a satisfactory sanitary state. The hailstorms unfortunately destroyed a number of important parcels in the Mâconnais and in the vineyards of the Côte d?Or at different stages of their vegetative cycle. Contrary to 2003, nature showed herself to be kind and the wine-growers had to go ahead with intensive green harvesting to control the yields, taking off the damaged grapes or leaf-thinning. 

In mid-september estimations put the forthcoming harvest at about 10% above that of an average harvest. 

Although the particularly successful 2002 and 2003 vintages are tasting beautifully at the moment, it is still to early to define the profile for the 2004 vintage. 

We will have to wait until after various tastings in November in Beaune, Chablis and in the Auxerrois region before getting a preliminary idea of the qualities of the 2004 harvest.

Close

Average Bottle Price

2020 2015 2010
5 640€ +24.5% 4 530€ +33.6% 3 390€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Latest Pro-tasting notes

26 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Deep, Yellow and Healthy

ending

Round

nose

Youthful, Opulent, Seductive and Generous

recommend

Yes

taste

Balanced, Multi-dimensional, Well-structured and Fresh

Verdict

Impressive

Written Notes

The 2004 DRC Montrachet was the most floral and so sweet, decadent, lush, and creamy.  Mmmmm delicious stuff.  Since I just reviewed it the night before, I kept my notes short.  The Ambassador was feeling like opening up new trade relations and gave it 99 points lol, but he wasn’t too far off (97).

  • 97p

The 2004 Montrachet is simply dazzling. Totally seamless and silky on the palate, the 2004 speaks to total finesse above all else. I especially like the way the 2004 remains gracious and light on its feet for a wine that delivers so much intensity. Orange peel, spice, white flowers and chamomile grace the palate in a silky, gracious wine that conquers all the sense. With time in the glass the minerality becomes more pronounced and the wine gains freshness. This is another vintage that really benefits from a few hours of air. The 2004 is just beginning to show the first signs of maturity, but it has enough pedigree to drink well for at least two more decades. It is a great Montrachet, albeit in much more restrained style than the more flamboyant vintages. The 2004 was brought in on October 5, the last day of the harvest, and seems to have reaped all the benefits of the last six weeks of the growing season, a period characterized by copious sunshine and moderately warm temperatures. When it comes to overall balance, the 2004 is utterly magnificent.

  • 98p
Bright green lemony colour. Intense and elegant nose with lovely complexity – elegant touch of mintiness, fine toastiness supporting fresh elegant fruit. Broad oily texture with super elegant minerality and high acidity. Very long beautifully balanced taste that leaves one calling for more. Drinking well now but with this balance will keep easily a decade or even two.
  • 94p
Load more notes

Information

Origin

Vosne-Romanée, Burgundy

Other wines from this producer

Bâtard-Montrachet

Corton-Charlemagne

Corton Grand Cru

Echézeaux

Grands Echézeaux

La Romanée-Conti Grand Cru

La Tâche

Les Gaudichots

Marc

Richebourg

Romanée Conti

Romanee Saint Vivant

Vosne Romanée

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault Blochet

Incorrect Information
If you found some information that is wrong, let us know
Are you sure you want do delete this wine? All information will be lost.
Are you sure you want to recommend this wine?
Are you sure you want hide this written note ?
Are you sure you want show this written note ?
UPGRADE MEMBER PLAN
Upgrade your membership now, it's quick and easy. We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards. Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal. You can cancel your membership at any time.
Thank you for your support!
 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

 

HOW TO USE TASTINGBOOK?

We recommend you to share few minutes for watching the following video instructions of how to use the Tastingbook. This can provide you a comprehensive understanding of all the features you can find from this unique service platform.

This video will help you get started



Taste wines with the Tastingbook


Create Your wine cellar on 'My Wines'



Explore Your tasted wines library



Administrate Your wine world in Your Profile



Type a message ...
Register to Tastingbook
Sign up now, it's quick and easy.
We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards.
Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal, where you can sign up for a free 7-day trial period. You can cancel your membership at any time. We wish you a rewarding journey to the world of Fine Wines.

Free 7 days Member trial

 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

  Register