Etienne Sauzet Montrachet Grand Cru 2022

Etienne Sauzet Montrachet Grand Cru 2022

Etienne Sauzet Montrachet Grand Cru 2022 is a monumental, opulent yet finely etched Chardonnay from Le Montrachet, showing immense power, depth and tension in a very highly rated vintage.

Terroir and viticulture

The fruit comes from the Chassagne‑Montrachet side of Le Montrachet, on thin, stony limestone and marl that naturally give great concentration, spice and a strong saline mineral backbone. Domaine Etienne Sauzet works with very low yields and meticulous vineyard care, aiming for ripe but balanced fruit and exemplary finesse.

Winemaking

The wine is barrel‑fermented and aged on its lees in French oak for up to 12 months, with a significant but carefully judged proportion of new barrels (around 40% for Le Montrachet in recent vintages). Classic débourbage before fermentation allows very fine sur‑lie aging, building creamy texture without losing precision.

Tasting profile (2022)

Tasting notes describe concentrated lemon, pear and white peach layered with toasted brioche, citrus pith, flint, mineral and a saline, honeyed finish. The palate is round and lavishly rich, with imposingly scaled, muscular flavors that remain compact and focused, culminating in an austere, incredibly long and powerful finish; overall the wine is opulent yet very precise.

Character, aging and pairing

Critics place the 2022 among the estate’s greatest recent Montrachets, with scores clustered in the mid‑ to high‑90s and comments about breathtaking power and length. It is built for long aging (two to three decades in top storage), and best suits luxurious dishes such as lobster, scallops, turbot, or roasted poultry with cream and morels, where its depth and mineral drive can fully express themselves.