2022 Domaine du Chancelier Côte de Beaune Blanc Les Monsnières

The 2022 Domaine du Chancelier Côte de Beaune Blanc Les Monsnières is a Chardonnay from a hillside parcel where stony clay-limestone soil and high-elevation placement produce fruit with concentration and natural acidity that survives full oak aging without losing shape. The Les Monsnières vineyard sits at the top of the slope in Côte de Beaune, where thinner topsoil forces vines to dig deep and cooler air preserves tension in the ripening fruit. Domaine du Chancelier farms this plot with minimal intervention, harvesting by hand and fermenting the juice in a mix of 228-liter and 350-liter oak barrels — the larger format offers gentler oak influence and slower oxygen exchange that preserves the wine's mineral backbone. Domaine du Chancelier works the Les Monsnières parcel with an emphasis on site expression over winemaking signature, letting the clay-limestone minerality speak through the barrel work rather than covering it. After hand harvest, the Chardonnay is fermented and aged entirely in oak, the larger 350-liter barrels tempering the wood's impact while still contributing weight and texture. The vineyard's position at the top of the Côte de Beaune slope means quick drainage and a mineral thread that runs from the nose through the finish, a reflection of the stony soil and the domaine's restraint in the cellar. This is hillside Burgundy Chardonnay with the structure to age but enough early integration to drink now. The 2022 vintage shows white stone fruit, citrus pith, and a distinct chalky mineral note that carries through the finish. There's enough weight from the barrel work to handle roast chicken, gruyère, or richer seafood preparations like lobster with brown butter, but the acidity keeps it lively enough for oysters or a simple green salad with lemon vinaigrette. Open it now for the oak integration or cellar it for two to four years as the fruit deepens and the mineral thread becomes more pronounced. The wine has the tension to cut through cream sauces and the structure to stand up to anything that comes off the bone. In stock at Off Premise in Lincoln Park.