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Puligny-Montrachet

The "Scabby Hill" ("Mont Rachaz"), not much more than an undulation between Puligny and Chassagne, is one of the most famous vineyard sites in the world. Wines from the Chassagne side are called "Le Montrachet" and from the Puligny side simply "Montrachet" Рthere are 4 hectares of each. Above Montrachet proper is the 7.59ha of Chevalier Montrachet (all in Puligny), at the bottom of the slope lies B̢tard Montrachet (6.02ha in Puligny). The names of these two Grand Crus supposedly reflect the division of the estate of the Seigneur de Montrachet between his two sons, one of whom had been a knight in the Crusades, the other was illegitimate. Puligny also contains the Grand Cru of Bienvenues-B̢tard-Montrachet (3.69ha).

Incidentally, both t's in Montrachet are silent if you're French or a wine purist, but the common English pronunciation is MON-trash-ay.

There are also 100ha of Premier Cru vinyeards out of the total of 235ha in Puligny. Technically there are 24 Premier Crus, although 10 of them represent particular plots within other Premier Crus. While the complex, minerally white wines get all the attention, there are 6.4ha of Pinot Noir.

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