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Etienne Sauzet, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru 2012
WhiteFrance2012
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-05-27 · Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-09-30
At a glance
In one line
4.5/5 — lower than Vivino's 4.8 average · world avg price US$748 · The community says 4.8; I said 4.5 — the day after giving the Montrachet at the same table 5 stars.
Wine-Searcher aggregate of 4 critic reviews: 93. One critic score listed on Vivino — barrel 94–96 (Dec 2013), publication not shown.
Market note: Sauzet's Chevalier-Montrachet is a grand cru made from purchased grapes rather than estate vines. The 2012 vintage averages 4.8 on Vivino (38 ratings), the highest of the neighboring vintages with 30+ ratings (2008–2011, 4.4–4.6).
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“에띠엔소조 호라이즌으로 12빈티지 몽라셰랑 같이 마셨는데 … 슈발리에는 진한 사랑의 맛처럼 아로마도 진한 시트러스 및 과실들. 부케도 화려하게 간다. 팔렛에서는 몽라셰 스케일에 밀렸지만 그래도 충분한 미네랄들이 여운에 남는다. 마지막은 굉장히 크리미하게 끝났다.”
Show original
“minerals citrus oak apricot lemon zest stone fruit orange peel baked apple cream 에띠엔소조 호라이즌으로 12빈 몽라셰랑 같이 마셨는데 […] 슈발리에는 진한 사랑의 맛처럼 아로마도 진한 시트러스 및 과실들.. 부케도 화려하게 간다. 팔렛에서는 몽라셰 스케일에 밀렸지만 그래도 충분한 미네랄들이 여운에 남는다.. 마지막은 굉장히 크리미하게 끝났다.”
What I learned today: you don't always need a glass to remember a bottle.
Sunday, the bar's day off. Last night's long finish still seemed to linger somewhere in my mouth. I got up late and opened the window; the air was clear and cold. Three apples Mom had packed with the bread on New Year's Day were rolling around on the table. I did what she taught me: cut them in half, put a pat of butter on each, scattered a little chopped tangerine peel over them, and slid them into the oven.
I've smelled baked apples countless times at Mom's bakery. But when I opened the oven door, tangerine peel and melted butter rose up over the apples, and in that moment a day that wasn't the bakery opened up.
May when I was twenty-one, a Wednesday night after an unusually warm day. Father came home late that day too. The night before he'd brought back an empty bottle wrapped in cloth, but this time his hands were empty. He set a folded paper napkin down in front of me at the table and went to wash up. When I unfolded it, there was a cork. I held it to my nose: baked apple, orange peel, and cream. No glass, no bottle, and still a single cork smelled like a whole dinner. I sat holding that cork until Father came back out. I don't know the bottle's name.
I turned to the page after the one I'd put a Post-it on yesterday. The date is the very next day. Four and a half stars. He wrote that the citrus and fruit were deep, that on the palate it lost to the Montrachet's scale, and ended with "the finish was incredibly creamy." There's also a line where someone at the table compared the two bottles to two people, but those weren't Father's words, so I don't copy them. The bottle was Etienne Sauzet Chevalier-Montrachet, the neighbor that shares a slope with yesterday's Montrachet. I stuck on a wine-name Post-it. Maybe Father brought the winner home as an empty bottle and the runner-up as a single cork. Both so his daughter could smell the finish.
In the evening Master Seo texted me a quiz. By the time I'd found the answer and written it down, the sun had set. I wrote the bottle's name on the fifth page of my new notebook. I've never had a single sip of it, so I left the taste line blank and wrote only what the cork smelled like. What I learned today: you don't always need a glass to remember a bottle.
What this wine is
Chevalier-Montrachet is the grand cru just above Montrachet, on the Puligny-Montrachet side of the slope. It sits highest of the five grands crus that carry the Montrachet name; as of 2008 it had 7.47 hectares in production, yielding around 41,000 bottles a year. It became an AOC in 1937, and only 100% Chardonnay is allowed.
The name comes with a medieval legend. A lord of Puligny divided his estate, giving his eldest son the "knight's" (chevalier) share, his daughters the "maidens'" (pucelles) share and his illegitimate son the "bastard's" (bâtard) share. Another version has the lord's eldest son failing to return from the Crusades, and the illegitimate son inheriting his place to the greeting "Welcome, Bâtard Montrachet" — given as the origin of Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Either way, it's a story handed down, not documented history.
Like its Montrachet, Sauzet makes its Chevalier from purchased grapes. Berry Bros. & Rudd writes that Sauzet sources them from three family-owned property companies and growers close to the domaine — an approach added after the 1991 inheritance split reduced its vineyards. The grands crus are raised with 40% new oak. This 2012 is 12.5% alcohol. It comes from the next-door vineyard on the same slope as Etienne Sauzet Montrachet Grand Cru 2012, opened the day before in the same Sauzet 2012 horizontal tasting.
What the world says
This 2012 vintage has 38 Vivino ratings averaging 4.8 — twenty-two 5s and sixteen 4s, not a single 3 or below. Across the whole label it's 521 ratings at 4.5, and among the neighboring vintages with more than 30 ratings — 2008 at 4.5, 2009 at 4.5, 2010 at 4.6, 2011 at 4.4 — the 2012 stands highest. One critic score is listed on Vivino: a barrel score of 94–96 (Dec 2013). The suggested drinking window is 2014–2024.
The community's flavor keywords run earth — minerals, honey, stone (31 mentions) — then citrus, lemon and lime (29), tree fruit such as apricot, pear and peach (27), oak, butter and vanilla (24), and cream (9). Where the Montrachet 2012 led with tree fruit, this one leads with minerals and citrus.
"Minerals, fresh, crisp,honey, young though very approachable/forward considering the young age." — Vivino review, Jul 2015, 4.5 stars
"Spectacular. I have no words to describe the sheer intensity of flavour, fruit concentration, textural complexity, impeccable balance and length of this beauty." — Vivino review, Sep 2021, 5 stars
"Great length but not over powering. Really opened up after 2 hours." — Vivino review, Jun 2014, 4.5 stars
On price: Wine-Searcher's world average is US$748 per 750ml (ex-tax, Sep 2026). Overseas retail at nine stores runs from US$716.86 at Cru World Wine in London (in bond) to US$919.75 at Lucullus in Switzerland. That's about US$350 below the same vintage of the Montrachet (US$1,099), checked the same day. The four critic reviews gathered on Wine-Searcher aggregate to 93.
How I drank it
May 27, 2020, 4.5 stars. "minerals citrus oak apricot lemon zest stone fruit orange peel baked apple cream. We drank it alongside the 2012 Montrachet in an Etienne Sauzet horizontal … The Chevalier, like the taste of deep love, has deep citrus and fruit on the nose, and the bouquet goes flamboyant too. On the palate it lost to the Montrachet's scale, but plenty of minerals still linger in the finish. The finish was incredibly creamy." (I've left out one private comparison made by someone at the table.)
It was the second day of a horizontal tasting of Etienne Sauzet's 2012s with friends. The day before, at the same table, I'd given the Montrachet Grand Cru 2012 5 stars, and this note is written from start to finish with that Montrachet as the yardstick. At a morning picnic the same day I gave Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2017 4 stars.
What's interesting is that the community's order and mine are reversed. The Vivino community gives this Chevalier 2012 a 4.8 (38 ratings), while the Montrachet 2012 has only 22 ratings — not even enough for an official average. Across the whole labels they're nearly level: Montrachet 4.6, Chevalier 4.5. My 4.5 sits 0.3 below the community, and the note explains why on its own: I didn't drink this bottle alone; I drank it next to the previous day's Montrachet. I praised the fruit and bouquet as "deep" and "flamboyant," and the only thing I marked down was the scale on the palate. Against a different yardstick, the score might have been different.
Where this wine shows up
Tradition holds that a lord of Puligny gave his eldest son the 'knight's' (chevalier) share, his daughters the 'maidens'' (pucelles) share and his illegitimate son the 'bastard's' (bâtard) share, giving the vineyards their names. In another version the eldest son never returned from the Crusades and the illegitimate son inherited his place.
Wikipedia — Chevalier-Montrachet · iDealwine — Montrachet, Chevalier, Criots, and Bâtard-Montrachet: the stories behind the names
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
2012 vintage rating distribution (38 ratings, average 4.8)
| 5★ | 22 (58%) | |
| 4★ | 16 (42%) | |
| 3★ | 0 (0%) | |
| 2★ | 0 (0%) | |
| 1★ | 0 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Earth & mineral | 31 | minerals 12 · honey 8 · stone 5 · chalk 1 · flint 1 |
| Citrus | 29 | citrus 16 · lemon 5 · lime 3 · orange peel 2 · lemon peel 1 |
| Tree fruit | 27 | apricot 6 · pear 5 · peach 4 · stone fruit 4 · apple 2 |
| Oak | 24 | oak 9 · butter 8 · vanilla 4 · coconut 2 · butterscotch 1 |
| Microbial | 9 | cream 7 · cheese 1 · salted butter 1 |
| Floral | 5 | honeysuckle 4 · acacia 1 |
| Nuts & toast | 5 | nutty 2 · almond 1 · brioche 1 · walnut 1 |
Structure: Acidity 3.4/5 · Intensity 3.9/5 · Sweetness 1.6/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 521 ratings, average 4.5)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 4.5 | 42 |
| 2009 | 4.5 | 33 |
| 2010 | 4.6 | 54 |
| 2011 | 4.4 | 38 |
| 2012 | 4.8 | 38 |
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Etienne Sauzet's Chevalier-Montrachet?
A 100% Chardonnay white made by Domaine Etienne Sauzet from the Chevalier-Montrachet grand cru (7.47 ha, just above Montrachet) in Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy. 12.5% alcohol, a full-bodied style led by minerals and citrus, backed by apricot, pear, butter and cream. The 2012 vintage sits at 4.8 on Vivino (38 ratings).
How much does it cost?
Wine-Searcher's world average is US$748 per 750ml (ex-tax, Sep 2026). Overseas retail ranges from US$716.86 (London, in bond) to US$919.75 (Switzerland) — about US$350 below the same vintage of the Montrachet (US$1,099).
What food pairs with it?
The Vivino community suggests shellfish, pasta, rich fish like salmon and tuna, mild and soft cheese, and cured meats.
How is Chevalier-Montrachet different from Montrachet?
Both are Chardonnay grands crus in Puligny-Montrachet; Chevalier-Montrachet lies higher up the slope, just above Montrachet. In my own notes on Sauzet's two 2012s, drunk side by side over two days, the Montrachet got 5 and the Chevalier 4.5, and the difference was the scale on the palate. In Vivino's community flavor keywords, the Montrachet leads with tree fruit, the Chevalier with minerals and citrus.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Wine-Searcher — 2012 Etienne Sauzet Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru prices and critic scores
- Berry Bros. & Rudd — Domaine Etienne Sauzet, Chevalier-Montrachet
- Wikipedia — Chevalier-Montrachet
- iDealwine — the stories behind the Montrachet grand cru names
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Tasted the same dayChateau Montelena Chardonnay 2017
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France · Burgundy★★★★☆Similar styleChâteau La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc 2018
France · Bordeaux★★★★☆Same grapeDomaine Laroche, Chablis Saint Martin 2018
France · Burgundy★★★½☆Same grape