There are few white wine producers in Burgundy—or anywhere—more revered than Hubert Lamy. The family has tended vines since 1640, but it’s under Olivier Lamy’s stewardship that the domaine has become one of the most thrilling names in the region. Working largely in Saint-Aubin—a once-overlooked appellation now prized for its altitude and cooling winds—Olivier has proven that greatness doesn’t always reside where tradition says it should.
Saint-Aubin’s cooler slopes, funneled by a dramatic combe, offer the kind of natural air-conditioning that today’s warmer vintages desperately need. In Olivier’s hands, this terroir becomes electric. He pushes boundaries in the vineyard, planting at dizzying densities—30,000 vines per hectare—forcing the roots to dive deep and struggle in competition. The payoff is immense: chardonnays that are pure tension and grace, etched with stony precision and luminous energy.
Fermented and aged in large-format barrels with minimal new oak, the wines are never dressed in wood. They speak fluently in the language of their site—steep, rocky, cool. Farming is meticulous and organic. And the wines? They’ve become some of the most coveted in Burgundy, snapped up by those who understand that elegance born of hardship is the most beautiful kind of reward.
Les Macherelles sits on the higher reaches of Chassagne-Montrachet, where chardonnay takes on a more structured, grounded expression. The wine leads with stone fruit and citrus oil, followed by subtle notes of crushed herbs and toasted almond that hint at its underlying power. The 2023 vintage lends a sense of generosity, but the wine’s core remains firm and mineral, shaped by chalky soils and Olivier Lamy’s measured hand in the vineyard. The palate builds gradually, unfolding in layers rather than immediate impact, with a savory edge and steady persistence that mark it as one of the more serious, inward-looking wines in the range. Les Macherelles demands attention now while also offering depth, structure, and the promise of evolution with time.
