Louis Latour Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge

Louis Latour's house practice of flash-pasteurising all red wines at approximately 72°C for two to three seconds before bottling remains the most openly debated technical decision in the Côte de Beaune — eliminating fining entirely by allowing the wine to fall clear naturally over two to three months post-treatment. Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge sits on the southern flank of the Côte de Beaune, where the limestone-and-clay soils shift from the white-wine-dominant marl of Puligny toward heavier clay content, giving Pinot Noir firmer structure and darker fruit character than its northern neighbours. Grapes are 100% hand-harvested, fully destemmed, and fermented in large open wooden vats for approximately 14 days with manual pigeage throughout; gravity-only transport is used at every stage inside the Corton Grancey Cuverie, the first purpose-built winery in France (constructed 1832–1834). Aging proceeds in French oak — 15–35% new, medium toast, 228-litre barrels air-dried 24–36 months in-house at the Louis Latour cooperage — for 10–12 months. The special feature here is structural: no other major Burgundy house openly applies flash-pasteurisation to village-level reds, making this wine microbiologically stable without a single fining agent. The 2020 vintage in Burgundy delivered concentrated, structured reds with deep colour and taut acidity — expect black cherry, blueberry, and earthy undertones with a drinking window extending comfortably through the late 2020s.