The Montserre plot owes its name to the “Serres”, a geological formation in the form of dense superimposed limestone plates. On the surface, the ground is strewn with white pebbles. Located at high altitude, at the top of the appellation, the Montserre plot, exposed to the winds on its four sides. It is bordered by a hedge of trees where birds nest and which forms a virtuous ecosystem.
In Beaune, there is a terrific bookshop called Athenaeum that also hosts one of the city's better wine shops. A chat with the staff always results in new discoveries of what will be hot in the US several years later. This is how I discovered Château de Béru. The Béru estate belongs to a handful of small Chablis estates that have begun to invert the classic hierarchy of top Chablis domaines. Collectors and Chablis lovers who enjoy the wines of Pattes Loups (Thomas Pico), Moreau-Naudet, and Alice et Olivier de Moor will find themselves thrilled with the offer today. In particular, these share the density and extract of the Pattes Loups wines for me.
While Chablis's Grand Cru Les Clos enjoys superstar status as Chablis's most famous vineyard, visitors might be disappointed to find out that the "Clos", or walled-off vineyard, is no longer in existence. The distinct honor of owning the only historically intact Clos in Chablis is none other than Château de Béru. Their original Clos Béru monopole site was planted by monks in the 12th century and was continuously cultivated until phylloxera struck France in the late 1800s. It was only in 1987, that the Comte Éric de Béru, out of passion for wine, undertook to replant the entire vineyard, and in particular, the famous Clos Béru. When Athénaïs’ decided to return to the estate and restart making wine, she made the bold move to organic viticulture. In Chablis where traditional chemical usage is still commonplace, there are few producers taking this route. The estate has been organic since 2005, and converted to biodynamics in 2011. Today, all their vineyards are being managed this way.
The estate is less "natural" in flavor profile than the wines of Alice et Olivier de Moor, and in my mind is a modern classic with the Grand Cru levels of richness you encounter even at the mid-range bottlings. The wines have a distinctly weighty mouthfeel with sleek texture brightened by zippy salinity and oyster shell minerality. The level of acidity is startlingly bright for the weight of the wine, ensuring your glass will empty quickly.
90 Points Neal Martin, Vinous: "The 2022 Chablis Montserre, located at the higher contours of the appellation at 280m altitude, on layered clay soils with white rocks, vinified with zero sulfur. It offers baked bread and candle wax, just a touch of walnut. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, tangy marmalade and orange rind, a slightly resinous texture but nicely controlled and vibrant on the finish with pleasing persistence on the aftertaste.
