Varietal
100% Chardonnay.
Tasting notes
Very nice gold colour.
Subtly mineral and smoked nose, with hazelnut and undergrowth notes enhanced by lemon zest flavours.
The mouth is rich, still a little firm, with yellow grapefruit aromas and a long, structured finish.
Food and wine pairing
This fine white wine will be perfect with seafood, in particular oysters and Norway lobsters, but also grilled fish and goat cheese.
Serving suggestions
Serve ideally at a temperature of 14°C (57°F.)
Ageing potential
4 to 6 years after its vintage.
Origin
On the left bank of the Serein, nestled between the "Bois des Lys" and "Broques de Biques", the 37 hectares of the "Montmains" climate rise above a hillside at a low altitude. The grapes from which this cuvée comes come from a plot known for its marly profile and another cultivated on stonier soil.
"Montmains" brings together, under its flag-bearer banner, itself as well as the Climats "Butteaux" et "Forêts". Together they cover approximately 118 hectares. This long climate is oriented South-East/North-East and benefits from the sun in the early hours of the day.
From 1537, several spellings were used to designate this Climate, such as "Montméen" or "Montmoyen". Montmains simply designates the mountain which is at an intermediate altitude, between two higher coasts.
Vinification and maturing
- Long pneumatic pressing
- Static cold settling of the musts
- Alcoholic fermentation started in stainless steel vats. After 3 days, around 30% of the juice was transferred into 1-2 years old barrels where the fermentation process has been completed.
- For the wine remaining in the stainless steel vats, fermentation lasted for 10 days at controlled temperatures (18 to 20°C) to conserve as much fruit as possible.
- 100% malolactic fermentation
- Matured on the lees for 12 months
Vintage : 2016
Vintage 2016 was really rough on us in Burgundy, but it was nothing compared to the living hell we went through in Chablis!
It all started with a mild winter followed by a chilly and rainy spring that lead to a bud bursting in mid-April. We could have settled for that, as we were in the average trend of the 10 previous years. Unfortunately, a first frosting incident in the end of April caused some huge damage in the vineyard. The first assessments estimate that about 20% of the Chablis vineyard was harmed...and if the vines were to grow again, the new vegetation would not bear fruits. The damage even went to the extent of jeopardizing the pruning for the next vintage. It was a hard blow to take, and the gloomy weather that seemed to settle didn’t help much: the growth slowed down and the vegetative cycle started running late. And as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours...a second frosting incident causes new damage in the vineyard, leading to increased gaps in the development of the plots. Then, in mid-May, a hail storm comes in line and hit strongly the north of Chablis.
As if this was not already bad enough, a second hail storm hit the south of Chablis as well as a part of Auxerrois. Still, a rainy weather prevents the vines to grow as expected and also generates mildew attacks.
In spite of everything, the flowering occurs in mid-June in an unhealthy climate where mildew causes real damage in the development of the grapes. In August, the extremes reversed and hot temperatures settle. Which in a way was very positive as it allowed for a decontamination of the vines, but lasted a bit too much and created sunburns on the left grapes.
Finally, the ripening was quick and harvesting began on September, 26th. The yields are very low and also very variable because of all the weather incident that showered over the vineyardFortunately, the wines – although still in their ageing period – are already full of fruit, very pleasing and well balanced.