CHABLIS 2014

Production area

The grapes for this village appellation were harvested within the delimited areas of 17 villages including the village of Chablis. This appellation covers a surface area of 3 367,28 hectares, making it Burgundy’s largest AOC. Our Chablis comes from the marly terroirs of Courgis to the south of Chablis.

Origins

Chablis' vineyards are completely set apart from the rest of Burgundy, giving them characteristics that are utterly distinctive. The unique terroir made of exogyrious marls originates from the Kimmeridgian era: it’s made of small oysters [exogyra virgula] that lived there when the sea covered the area and fossilized when the sea withdrew. It gives the wines their minerality and sharpness.

Varietal

100% Chardonnay

Tasting notes

COLOUR : Pale gold, crystal clear with a lovely brilliance.
NOSE : Extremely elegant. Predominant notes of fresh fruits (peach, pear, pink grapefruit) with a slight touch of toasted almonds.
PALATE : Fresh, well-balanced with citrus notes and a creamy side.

Vinification and maturing

The grapes once harvested are pressed delicately for a long time in a pneumatic press that allows a better extraction of the juice and reduces the risk of oxydation. Vinification is then operated in thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks. For this wine, we put the stress on having a fast malolactic fermentation in order to keep the freshness of the wine and ensure the purest aromas.
Complexity is brought by a little part of the wine aged in oak barrels.

Food and wine pairing

Perfect with oysters, fish, poultry, some types of exotic cuisine (japanese, indian) and goat cheeses.

Serving suggestions

10 to 12°C

Ageing potential

Generally speaking, it is preferable to drink Chablis wines in their youth so as to best appreciate their distinctive freshness, but they can age for 2 to 5 years.

Vintage : 2014

Due to a mild winter, the vine buds burst open in the first days of April. By the end of the month several vineyards went through some frosting which resulted in a loss of 20-30%. It also visibly slowed the development of the vines. The warm, dry weather in June lead to the first flowering even if we noted a lot of differences from plot to plot. The high temperatures later in the month caused ‘shatter’ of flowers.
In July, we experienced wide temperature variations, from 8,5 to 32,6°C, leading to some scorching of the plants. August was damp and the real challenge was to keep healthy vines. However, ripening continued and the grapes reached a good concentration of sugars. The first grapes were harvested on 16th September, and picking continued until 3rd October.

Let's face it: 2014 will be a great vintage for white wines in Burgundy. It holds the perfect expression of the Ropiteau style we are seaching in our wines: tight style, freshness and balance.

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