2023 Domaine Xavier Monnot Chardonnay Le Pre de Denise Coteaux Bourguignons 750 ml

No White Burgundy is more beloved by our members than Xavier Monnot.

Monnot is in the upper echelon of Meursault producers, making tiny quantities of exceptionally thoughtful wines marked by beautiful precision and finesse—and fortunately, his pricing hasn’t caught up to the Arnaud Ente or Roulots of the world. That’s why scores of cases can be found in the cellars of devoted Wine Access fans.

Monnot’s Le Pré de Denise Coteaux Bourguignons is a brand-new bottling from one of Burgundy’s most masterful white-winemakers, one that gives credence to the advice critic Antonio Galloni gave us: “Buy the least expensive wines from the best producers,” he told us on our podcast. “You know that every wine they make is going to be somewhere between outstanding to just tremendous.” 

No village in Burgundy has been more exciting in the last decade than Meursault. Although there are no Grand Crus in Meursault, some of the most coveted and expensive white Burgundies hail from the village. But, as in many regions that have experienced a surge of interest, there are still opportunities to be found, if you know where to look.

Enter Xavier Monnot, who we’ll stake as one of Meursault’s leading producers. Xavier Monnot is still flying under the radar, but we know that’s changing because we waited five years between allocations until last summer. Availability always disappears right before pricing explodes.

And now, into this mix, there’s a new bottling from Monnot: an exceptional entry from the Coteaux Bourguignons appellation. Unlike many wines at this price (or labeled with a regional AOC), this is a single-vineyard bottling, from Le Pré de Denise. Monnot carefully farms its clay-limestone soils as he would his Premier and Grand Crus, and the site excelled in 2023.

The 2023 Burgundy vintage produced an exceptional crop of white wines that show richness without excess. After a tumultuous spring and a hot, dry summer that forced vines to draw on deep reserves of water, the grapes were harvested as summer transitioned to fall. After a careful harvest and gentle pressing, Monnot aged this wine in a delicate 15% new oak to preserve its fresh, clean, beautifully balanced character.