2021 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny Les Dazes

A small-production Côte Chalonnaise Chardonnay from a young but highly trained winemaker, blending old-vine clay-rich fruit from the “Les Dazés” vineyard site with organic farming and meticulous cellar work — delivering textural depth and saline lift that far outclasses most basic Montagny bottles.

Maxime Cottenceau isn’t a name you’ll find on every Burgundy street corner. After training in Beaune under Vincent Dureuil of Dureuil-Janthial (one of Rully’s most respected domaines), he returned to his home base in Buxy and began crafting wines from his family’s parcels in the Côte Chalonnaise — an area historically overlooked compared to its northern neighbors. 

From the start, Cottenceau made a conscious choice: no selling grapes off to the cooperative, and no easy batch blending. He took the family’s clay-rich plots — especially the east-facing Les Dazés — and began farming organically (conversion began in 2020) to coax out complexity and tension from the soil. 

In the cellar, Cottenceau’s process is deliberate. Hand harvesting is followed by indigenous yeast fermentation, then a long élevage — about 14 months in barrel (roughly 30% new), followed by tank rest — which gives the wine real texture and depth without overwhelming it with oak. 

Vintage 2021 was not easy everywhere, but here it produced a wine that balances fleshy orchard fruit and citrus zest with a stony, saline backbone. It’s medium-bodied yet complete, a wine that holds its own with richer food and doesn’t fall flat after the first sip.

This isn’t the Montagny you order when you want “easy white Burgundy.” It’s the bottle you choose when you want tension and texture — it’s fresher, more layered, and more expressive than many regional or even village bottlings because the site is specific, the farming is intentional, and the winemaking is precise.