Varietal
100% Chardonnay.
Tasting notes
Open nose reminiscent of fruit, almond, butter and fresh liquorice.
Round, dense, and buttery on the palate with flavours of citrus marmalade and toasted almond.
Food and wine pairing
Perfect with all fish and shellfish as well as with white meats.
Serving suggestions
Serve ideally at a temperature of 14°C. (57°F.).
Ageing potential
4 to 6 years.
Origin
34 hectares are classified as Premier Cru Fourchaume. Located in the commune of La Chapelle-Vaulpelteigne, just north of the hillside where all the Grands Crus are found, it is a jewel among the Premiers Crus. Because of its international reputation, Fourchaume is one of the flagship Climats, along with L'Homme Mort, Vaulorent, Côte de Fontenay and Vaupulent.
The slope is gentle and even, over Kimmeridgian marl, with a south-westerly exposure, and lies in the Fontenay-près-Chablis valley to the north-east of Chablis.
Hugues de Montaigu, Bishop of Auxerre, was one of the pioneers of the Cistercian tradition in Chablis. At that time, the monks were already working on the creation of their white vin de garde, synonymous with high quality. Their heritage is reflected in every wine in our MONTAIGU collection.
Vinification and maturing
Our Premier Cru Fourchaume shows a richness developed from meticulous plot selection and separate vinification before blending and ageing in fine grain barrels.
Harvested shortly after dawn, the grapes are directly pressed and vinified separately before being assembled and then put into fine-grained barrels to best express all the richness and complexity of this premier cru, between minerality and smoothness.
Vintage : 2019
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.
Quantities were distinctly limited (down between 10 and 30%). 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.
The consolation was that the juice is 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 volume