Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay, Chassagne-Montrachet 'Les Blanchots Dessous', Burgundy, France

Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay is a small, family-run estate in the heart of Chassagne-Montrachet, founded in 1989 by Laura Coffinet and Philippe Duvernay (their son Bastien has run the domaine since 2012). The family's roots in the village go back to the 1800s, and their 6.5-hectare holding includes an enviable spread of village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru (Bâtard-Montrachet) parcels. Winemaking is traditional and low-intervention: hand-harvested fruit, whole-bunch pressing, wild-yeast fermentation, and ageing in mostly older French oak barrels (around 25% new for the whites).

Les Blanchots Dessous is a village-level wine, but from an exceptional site — the vines, averaging 60–70 years old, sit right at the edge of the Grand Cru Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet, and the plot shares much of that neighbour's character. Yields are kept low, well below the appellation's permitted maximum.

Tasting Notes Pale lemon-yellow in the glass. A generous, floral nose gives way to ripe yellow orchard fruit — apple and pear — with a savoury, satsuma-like richness reminiscent of its Grand Cru neighbour. The palate is broad-shouldered and succulent, with real power and bright acidity, tightening to a saline, mineral finish. A wine built to drink well young but capable of ageing for several years.