2022 Maison Jean-Pierre Maldant, Saint-Romain “L’Argillat” White Burgundy, France.
The majestic and serious L’Argillat Saint-Romain Blanc from Maison Jean-Piere Maldant is one of the best white Burgundies under a hundred bucks I’ve tried in recent yeas with incredible depth, precise detail, length, mineral tones and nobility of form, showing off classic layering of concentrated apple, pear, lemon and golden fig fruits, along with a hint of reductive matchstick, clove spice, chalky wet stone, subtle white blossom, leesy brioche and lingering vanilla. This pale straw/gold captivating Chardonnay is pure class and joy in the glass, exceptional stuff and on level with some elite bottles three or four times the price here, Burg fans will want to take notice of Maldant, a domaine I’d never seen or heard of before, making the experience of discovery even more of a thrill. The historic Saint-Romain, one of the first cultivated areas in Burgundy, is situated in the Côte de Beaune and sits at the foot of a high cliff but at an elevation which enables it to look out over a wide stretch of countryside and sees classic clay and limestone soils and noted especially for white wines. The L’Argillat Lieux-Dit, set on those ancient Jurassic soils at between 300 and 400 meters gets good exposure for dense ripeness and retains plenty of acidity, which clearly comes through on Maldant’s 2022.
The Domaine Jean-Pierre Maldant, now run by Pierre-François Maldant, who succeeded his dad Jean-Pierre at the head of the family Domaine, has has been making the wine here since 2010 and is considered a talent to watch, and after tasting this Saint-Romain Blanc, I’ll be following this label way more closely! Located in the Côte de Beaune, near Ladoix-Serrigny and in sight of the Corton hill, Maldant, like other coveted producers here is getting a big reputation for the quality of the white wines in the collection. Pierre-François says his father stopped taking care of the Hospice de Beaune vineyards in 1998, in order to be able to focus fully on the domaine and improve the quality and fortunes of this 5th generation property. It was just five-six hectares at the time, but now Maldant have ten full hectares of top parcels, with a prime collection of both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay plots in some big name crus, including Grand Cru Corton and Corton-Charlemagne. The whites here are quite rich and full bodied, but wonderfully balanced and structured, and look to be carefully made with well judged batonage and wood use, with this brilliant Saint-Romain showing off the best of its terroir and should drink well for another decade. Maldant is imported to the States by Massanois and I highly recommend chasing down this wine, which again, is an outstanding under the radar effort.
($80 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive