france: burgundy

Domaine de la Folie, Côte Châlonnaise

This graceful 16th century estate sits on top the Montagne de la Folie, a long, high ridge considered in ancient times to be the playground of fairies and goblins—a place where mortals dare not tread. The domaine is the northernmost in the Rully AC; its vineyards are the highest in elevation and, strikingly for Burgundy, all but one are monopoles. The estate has been in the care of the Nöel-Bouton family for over two centuries and has long been considered a leading domaine in Rully. They have 44.5 acres of vines.

The vineyards grow in well-drained limestone soils and have exceptional exposure on top of the hill or on its eastern flank. They are low yielding, hand-harvested, and rank among the most impeccably tended vineyards in the Côte Chalonnaise.

Clos St Jacques is a postage stamp of a walled vineyard whose vines date from the 1950s. Adjacent to it and a little higher up the mountain side is the domaine's other flagship, Clos du Chaigne. The former is just over four acres; the latter just over eight. In considering these two premier cru vineyards, it's worth noting that Chassagne-Montrachet, which produces some of the world's finest and most expensive Chardonnay, lies a mere four miles away as a crow flies. Folie's wines are deliciously elegant renditions of Chardonnay, infused with lip-smacking minerality that is the hallmark of all the great white wines of France. They are easily among the very best white wines of the appellation—"with a lovely reserve here that is largely absent from the wines of Rully" (Allen Meadows, Burghound #4)—and they rival many more expensive wines made a few miles up north in the Côte de Beaune. www.domaine-de-la-folie.com