Montrachet
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Montrachet is a grand cru vineyard between the villages of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet that produces what many consider to be the greatest white wine in the world. Montrachet is located in the south of the Cote de Beaune. The Cote de Beaune is the southern half of the Cote d'Or, which is the most important of the several wine producing areas of Burgundy.
The Montrachet vineyard is almost equally divided between the villages of 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. The vineyard is 7.998 ha or 19.76 acres. In good years the production can reach 356 hectolitres or 47.000 bottles (1999). 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 last sale of a subdivision occurred in 1993 when the Crédit Foncier bank (owner of Château de Puligny) bought 428m2 (4606ft2) for over half a million Euros. Wines from Montrachet are composed entirely of Chardonnay but, like most French wines, are referred to by their place of origin rather than by varietal.
Four additional grands crus lie alongside Montrachet and share its name: these are Chevalier-Montrachet, Batard-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, and Criots-Batard-Montrachet. Chevalier-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet lie entirely within the appellation of Puligny-Montrachet. Criots-Batard-Montrachet lies entirely within Chassagne-Montrachet. Batard-Montrachet, like Montrachet, is split between the two villages.
Montrachet wines are some of the most expensive white wines in the world: prices can range from 55 EUR to 1800 EUR per 75cl 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).
