Wine Variety:  Chardonnay isthe white grape of Burgundy, where it is responsible for all that region's finest wines. It is a grape of very modest aroma and flavour, making up what it lacks in those departments with its potential to become extremely richly textured. Chardonnay can cope with a range of climatic conditions and wine making techniques. Styles range from the crisp, acidic wines of champagne (where the fruit is essentially picked under-ripe), via the steely, mineral wines of Chablis, through the nutty, complex examples from the Côte de Beaune, to the (now seldom seen, hitherto ubiquitous) greasy, deeply coloured and over-oaked New World examples. Chardonnay is the shapely offspring of Pinot Noir and the highly promiscuous Gouais Blanc.

Wine Region: Burgundy: to many the beating heart of all that is fine in wine. Located in east-central France and boasting a fully continental climate (very cold winters; hot summers), the vineyards of the Côte d'Or were mapped out largely by monks over the centuries. Dominant (almost to the extent of exclusivity) varieties here are Chardonnay for the whites and Pinot Noir for the reds. 

Wine Producer: The Château de Chamilly was built in the 17th century by Noël Bouton, who was lieutenant general to Louis XIV. The Desfontaine family bought the property and surrounding land at the beginning of the 19th century and are engaged in a constant project of restoration of the château. Château de Chamilly, in the north of the Côtes Chalonnaises just 20 minutes south of Beaune, is now run by brothers Xavier and Arnaud Desfontaine.