Montagny is the southernmost appellation of the Cotes Chalonnaise region of Burgundy. It produces Chardonnay exclusively from vineyards set in a natural amphitheatre. Alain Roy’s family estate of eleven hectares has some of the oldest vines in the appellation, with more than half of his holdings being over 25 years old. Roy harvests by hand and the grapes are rapidly pressed and then allowed to ferment in a combination of barrels and temperature controlled, stainless steel tanks. Bottling takes place after the finish of the malolactic fermentation in April or May to preserve the fresh, lively fruit. Roy’s Montagny 1er Cru is a fresh, vivid, fragrant wine with flavors of green apple, melon, honey and minerals. It represents outstanding value in white Burgundy, and is always a fuller and less expensive wine than Pouilly Fuisse. The British wine writer Anthony Hanson’s praise for the Roy domaine is very apt: “one of Montagny’s most dependable properties, making flowery, ripe, well-balanced wines.”