Michel Niellon, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Maltroie, 2018

Michel Niellon is one of white Burgundy's quiet legends, a tiny Chassagne-Montrachet domaine whose premier crus have long been reference points for anyone chasing Chardonnay of power and precision. This is the white Clos de la Maltroie, a walled premier cru near the village on deep clay-and-marl over limestone. That water-holding soil is what gives the wine its signature: breadth, weight, and a rich core of fruit anchored by cut and minerality. The 2018 vintage was warm and generous, and here it shows as opulence with tension rather than heaviness. This is the broader, more voluptuous of Niellon's Chassagne premier crus, built to reward both the table now and a few more years in the cellar.