Blanc de blancs
Cuvée Les Caourdets
The “Les Caourdets” plot gives this Chardonnay great aromatic intensity, thanks to the presence of clays rich in iron oxide. This unique soil brings a fine structure, good volume, and balanced power to the cuvée.
All the wines from the estate are released for sale only after a 6-month period following disgorgement.
The Plot :
Rootstock: 41B
Year of plantation: 1984
The soils of the “Les Caourdets” plot are worked only under the vine stocks, the remaining area being protected by a natural cover of indigenous plants.
To preserve this plot, we exclusively use copper, sulfur, and plant extracts.
The Wine
Wine is guided on the estate in a very simple way: we only intervene when necessary, and nothing is systematic.
Our main goal is to allow the purest expression of the terroir.
The cuvée *Les Gras d’Huile* is, each year, primarily from a single harvest, complemented by a perpetual reserve wine that began in 2015 from this same plot.
Alcoholic fermentation occurs spontaneously in our barrels, thanks to the indigenous yeasts present. Sometimes, before harvest, we carry out a small pre-harvest to create a starter culture of indigenous yeasts, thereby facilitating fermentation.
We never use sulfur at harvest; the juices go directly from the press to the barrels to begin fermentation.
Sulfur is only lightly added after fermentation and is the only input used.
The must is racked during fermentation, causing the overflow of our barrels filled to 100%, to extract the inert parts and retain the pulp.
Our wines mature in 228-litre barrels for a minimum of 11 months, alongside their lees. We do not stir the lees, except in case of oxidative deviation.
The wines are topped up only after fermentation, until the warmer periods of spring arrive.
Bottling at the estate takes place in late July or early August, followed by 30 months of maturation before disgorgement.
The dosage of our wines is adjusted to each wine, varying from year to year.
We do not use fining, filtration, or cold stabilization. This is why a very slight deposit may be present in the bottle.