Chardonnay often gets thrown under the bus around here, but I’ve found a Chardonnay to delight both fans and the ABC (anything but Chardonnay) people. This wine delivers a nice full palate, but also has floral and mineral components that gracefully leap to the soprano note for a very balanced Chard. The oak is integrated and fills in the middle notes. Kacher writes, “Xavier Monnot is a 17-hectare estate, all family-owned, located in Meursault. About 50% of the vineyards are planted in white, 50% in red. The production though is 65% white. Domaine Xavier Monnot’s vineyards are very spread out, covering most of the Côte de Beaune starting in Beaune 1er Cru ‘Cent Vignes’ and stretching all the way to Maranges 1er Cru in the Côte Chalonnaise. All the vines are hand-harvested and new oak is used with a lot of caution. Bourgogne Chardonnay is made from 25-year-old Meursault vines. It is barrel-fermented and aged in 20% new oak for 12 months. It displays a fine golden color and beautiful flower aromas. This balanced wine has an intense and firm taste backed by fruit notes.”