Premier Cru Vaillons
The vintage
After a relatively mild and very dry winter, the vine began to bud in the last week of March. Fortunately, at the end of March, just before the first frosts, the vintage showed a few days' delay compared to the average of the past 20 years. Despite the frost and cold, we observe a good emergence of clusters. Flowering took place at the end of May under excellent conditions, with little shatter or millerandage. The vine caught up and now shows a 10-day advance. August 31 marks the beginning of the harvest with all the teams. The sanitary condition is perfect, the skins are thick, and the grapes are pulpy with a good juice yield.
Location
An appellation of 129 hectares located on the left bank of the Serein. On the Côte des Vaillons, there are eight different named vineyards that can claim this appellation.
Terroir
Here, the soil is more calcareous than clayey, resting on hard, compact, and highly fractured Portlandian limestone (a soil layer covering the Kimmeridgian).
Winemaking
Application of the principle of gravity to avoid any pumping that could alter the quality of the wine. Short pneumatic pressing (1h30 to 2h00) for a delicate separation between the solid and liquid parts of the grapes. Very light static settling to retain enough fine lees for the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations to proceed naturally. The must is placed in French oak barrels (on average 6 years old) for 30 to 40% of the cuvée. The remainder is vinified in small stainless steel tanks.
Tasting
Fresh and intense bouquet with notes of fruit and flowers combined with a touch of minerality.
A refined wine, round and full on the palate.
Grapes
Chardonnay
: 100 %