2020 Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge

The 2020 Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge is a village-level Pinot Noir from one of Burgundy's most storied white-wine families, made in a vintage that delivered remarkable structure and concentration across the Côte de Beaune. While the Ramonet domaine in Chassagne-Montrachet is revered worldwide for its Chardonnay-based whites from sites like Bâtard-Montrachet and Les Ruchottes, the family has quietly farmed parcels of Pinot Noir for generations, and this village bottling reflects the same meticulous attention to terroir and low yields that define the cellar's Grand Cru holdings. The wine sees traditional Burgundian élevage in a combination of old and newer French oak, allowing the earthy limestone minerality of Chassagne's soils to speak clearly through the fruit. Jean-Claude Ramonet took over the domaine from his grandfather Noël in the 1980s, and today he works alongside his sons Noël and Jean-Baptiste, farming roughly twenty hectares across some of the most prized white-wine vineyards in the Côte d'Or. The family's red-wine parcels sit on the same chalky marl soils that give Chassagne its signature tension, and the fruit is vinified with whole-cluster fermentation and gentle extraction to preserve the delicate aromatic profile Pinot Noir achieves this far south in the Côte de Beaune. The 2020 growing season in Burgundy was marked by a warm, dry summer that concentrated flavors without sacrificing acidity, and harvest came early in late August, yielding wines with both power and elegance. The domaine bottles under cork and releases the rouge after approximately eighteen months in barrel, a timeline that allows the dense tannins to integrate without losing the wine's characteristic freshness. The 2020 Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge pours a clear ruby red and opens with aromas of tart cherry, forest floor, and baking spice, reflecting both the limestone terroir and the subtle oak influence. On the palate the wine is round and exuberant, showing the earthy depth and firm tannin structure typical of Chassagne's red sites, with good mid-palate density and a finish that lingers on notes of cranberry and wet stone. This is a wine that benefits from a light chill and pairs beautifully with roasted duck, mushroom risotto, or aged Comté, and it will continue to develop complexity over the next five to seven years in a proper cellar. Serve it alongside charcuterie or grilled salmon to let the wine's earthy minerality shine without overwhelming the fruit. The 2020 Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge is available now at Off Premise in Lincoln Park for in-store pickup at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.