The vine

• Plot /climat

  Les Vireuils and Les Narvaux

• History

  The plots are situated at the top of the slopes and mostly first cultivated between the 2 world wars; "Les Vireuils" refers to a path around the hills and "Les Narvaux" a narrow valley at the top of the slopes.

• Soil

  Marls and pebbles on hard, limestone rock.

• Our plot(s)

  14a 22ca and 34a34ca planted in 1962, 1999, and 2003 at an altitude of 320 and 340m.

The wine

• Description

  100% Chardonnay from handpicked grapes; vinified and raised in oak casks.

• Taste

  As the grapes mature a little late in this location, they are generally picked at the end of the harvesting period; when young, the wine is first dry and long in the mouth and then gains in elegance with age. The nos is complex with citrus fruit and mineral aromas.

• Serving temperature

  12/14°C. It is recommended to decant recent vintages so as to enhance the aroma.

The vintage

• Year 2021 : down in history for frost. The frost which hit the French winelands was the worst ever experienced. Our domain was seriously struck with a yield equivalent to a third of a normal grape harvest. The frost early in April, slowed down the growth rate of the vine which took time to recover in addition to which the season was marked by frequent periods of rain , beneficial for the life of the vine but complicating the control of mildew and oidium. It was not an easy season to manage right up to harvest time as from 18 September when again spells of rain did not facilitate matters ; nevertheless, healthy grapes were selected after careful sortation on picking and before processing such that on monitoring the maturity of the wine , its equilibrium is surprisingly satisfactory. The white wines are crisp and mineral with many citrus aromas, long and full in the mouth to different degrees depending on the vineyard.