2022

Premier Cru Montmains

AOC Chablis Premier Cru Montmains, Bourgogne, Chablis, France

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

Appellation of 98 hectares on the left bank of the Serein, on very well-oriented lands but very sensitive to frost. The Premier Cru Montmains has a distinct typicity linked to its very stony terroir, which gives the wine very pronounced mineral aromas, with extraordinary power and excellent aging potential.

Terroir

Fairly deep soils over an airy Kimmeridgian subsoil, with a mix of marl and clays. The plots cover 3.69 hectares, oriented southeast, located in the lieux-dits Montmains, Butteaux and Forêt, and are very representative of this Premier Cru.

Winemaking

Application of the principle of gravity to avoid any pumping, which could alter the quality of the wine. Short-duration 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 occur naturally. The musts are placed in French oak barrels (on average 6 years old) for 40 to 50% of the blend. The remainder is vinified in small stainless steel tanks. Aging lasts 13 to 14 months, including 5 to 6 months on fine lees in French oak barrels for 40 to 50% of the blend. The aging process finishes in small stainless steel tanks.