Varietal

100% Chardonnay.

Tasting notes

Pale gold in colour.
Discret nose with reminiscent of citrus, apricot and sugared-almond aromas.
Round and powerful on the palate. Structured and freshness with reminiscent of white flowers and peaches.

Food and wine pairing

Perfect with salmon or shoft spicy poultry.

Serving suggestions

14°C

Ageing potential

4 to 6 years.

Origin

34 hectares are classified under the Premier Cru Fourchaume appellation.

Located in the commune of La Chapelle- Vaulpelteigne, just to the north of the hillside containing all of the Grands Crus, this is a jewel among the Premiers Crus. Due to its international reputation, the wines from the subparcels is often sold under the Fourchaume name. In fact, Fourchaume is one of the "Climats porte drapeau" (flag-bearer climates) grouping together those of L'Homme Mort, Vaulorent, Côte de Fontenay and Vaupulent.

The slope is regular with south-western exposure, and is located in the valley of Fontenay-près-Chablis to the northeast of Chablis. Gentle slopes overlying Kimmeridgian marls.

Vinification and maturing

- pneumatic pressing
- cold static settling of the juice
- alcoholic fermentation began in stainless steel tanks after 3 days, 25% of the juice was transferred to fine-grained 1 to 2-year-old barrels where it continued alcoholic fermentation with weekly stirring the remaining juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks for 7 to 10 days under controlled temperatures (18 to 20°C) in order to preserve as much fruit as possible
- 100% malolactic fermentation
- aged on fine lees for 10 months

Vintage : 2014

After an extremely mild winter, the vine buds burst in the first days of April, three weeks earlier than in 2013. A touch of frost was felt at the end of the month, affecting several vineyards on the lower slopes and leading a loss of 20-30%. This dip in temperature markedly slowed the development of the vines. Climatic conditions were optimal at the start of June, with warm, dry weather encouraging the first flowering in certain sectors, although this varied considerably from plot to plot. The spike in warmth in June caused ‘shatter’ of flowers in many places. July was notable for wide temperature variations, from 8.5 to 36.2°C, leading to some scorching of the plants. August was damp and it was a challenge to stay on top of the vine diseases. Nonetheless, ripening continued steadily and the average yield on the vines allowed for a very satisfactory concentration of sugars. The first grapes were harvested on 16 September, and picking continued until 3 October.