Varietal

100% Chardonnay.
Yield 58 hl/ha.

Tasting notes

Pale golden colour

Intense and slightly smoky nose, with almonds and pink grapefruit aromas.

Fresh and unctuous palate, with notes of dried fruits and lime. A long and dense finish

Food and wine pairing

Ideal served with seafood, grilled fish and grilled meat.

Serving suggestions

14°C

Ageing potential

Already very pleasant, it will keep for at least 5 years in the cellar.

Origin

Chablis, located near Auxerre in the Yonne department, is one of Burgundy's most northerly vineyards. The appellation has 40 climats classified as premiers crus, including 17 main ones.

Situated on the left bank of the Serein, in the centre of the hillside to the south-west of Chablis, the 105 hectares of Premier Cru Vaillons enjoy a particularly favourable exposure and, quite rightly, an excellent reputation. Gently sloping hillsides. Kimmeridgian marl.

The diversity of this Premier Cru's sub-soils is reflected in the plots of Beugnon, Chatain and Minot. Vinified separately, the cuvées from these 3 parcels were then blended to bring out the full richness of the vintage.

Behind the term "Vaillons" lies the notion of a small valley (from the Latin "vallis" or "valles" meaning "elongated space between two areas").

Vinification and maturing

- Pneumatic pressing
- Static cold settling of the musts
- Alcoholic fermentation started in stainless steel vats
- For the wine remaining in the stainless steel vats, fermentation for 7 to 10 days at controlled temperatures (18 to 20°C) to conserve as much fruit as possible.
- After 3 days, around 20% of the juice is drawn off and transferred into fine-grained wooden barrels for the continuation of the fermentation process.
- 100% malolactic fermentation.
- Ageing on 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.