Michel Niellon, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumees Clos de la Truffiere, 2018

If the Maltroie is Niellon's broad shoulders, this is the domaine's coiled spring. Clos de la Truffiere is Niellon's walled parcel high in Les Chaumees, near the top of the slope on the border with St-Aubin, where thin, rocky red earth and vines topping a century old push the Chardonnay toward tension rather than flesh. The result is a taut, vertical, mineral-driven white with real cut, saline lift, and a long, chiseled finish, the more precise counterpoint to the richer Maltroie. Even in the warm, ripe 2018 vintage, this high, cool site keeps its nerve. From one of Chassagne's most legendary small growers, it's white Burgundy built on drive and finesse.