Varietal
100% Chardonnay. Yield 50Hl/Ha.
Tasting notes
In its bright gold dress, this Grand Cru offers intense mineral aromas on the nose and a perfect balance in the mouth between liveness and fat with all the charm of an inimitable and authentic great Chablis wine.
Food and wine pairing
This is the jewel in the crown of the Chablis range, excellent with seafood or fish (salmon, turbot) and white meats in cream sauce.
Serving suggestions
Serve ideally at around 14°C. (57°F.).
Ageing potential
7 years and even 15 years in good storage conditions.
Origin
From among the seven prestigious climats located in the commune of Chablis, the 11.92 ha of Valmur stretch across a “valley” at the heart of the appellation, running alongside that of Vaudésir as well as Grenouilles and Les Clos.
Its location, offering subtle variations of exposition and altitude, enable more varied wines to be produced here than in the other vineyards. Moreau’s selection concerns 2 ha of the vineyard.
Chalky scree slopes overlying Kimmeridgian marl. The soil is heavy and is strewn with small fossilized oysters known as “Exogyra Virgula”.
The grapes come from a single plot of old vines, facing the setting sun and often the last to be harvested.
Vinification and maturing
- Grapes brought in
- Long pneumatic pressing,
- Static settling,
- Alcoholic fermentation starts in stainless steel vats,
- 3 days later, 30% of the juice is placed in fine-grained barrels aged 1 to 2 years,
- Malolactic fermentation,
- Bâtonnage (stirring of the lees) for the part in casks,
- Aged for 18 months on fine lees.
Vintage : 2019
It is usually said that the vine is able to bring much more complexity to the grapes when it faces some stress during the cycle… With this old saying, we can perfectly understand why the 2019 wines are so appreciated!
In fact, 2019 was, again, a unique and very changeable year. It brought its own stresses for a great many producers, while harvesting passed without a hitch. This is the result of all the various weather episodes possible which affected the vines depending on their location: Frost, hail, tricky flowering, drought, and heatwave in July.
Lucie Depuydt, enologist and winemaker at the Maison J. Moreau & Fils, started picking on 11 September, with the first vats starting fermentation on the 16th. Quantities were distinctly limited (down between 10 and 30%).
The consolation was that the juices were of very good quality, with high sugar levels and nice concentration. And contrary to what we might have expected, the acid balance was very nice.
Since the start of the 20th century, every vintage that has ended with a “9” has been wonderful. The only downside to this one is below-average volumes.