![]() The vineyards outside of Grands Crus are Premiers Crus, and outlying from those is Petit Chablis. This soil type produces wines full of structure, austerity, minerality, salinity and finesse.Ĭhablis Grands Crus vineyards are all located at ideal elevations and exposition on the acclaimed Kimmeridgian soil, an ancient clay-limestone soil that lends intensity and finesse to its wines. A 180 million year-old geologic formation of decomposed clay and limestone, containing tiny fossilized oyster shells, spans from the Dorset village of Kimmeridge in southern England all the way down through Champagne, and to the soils of Chablis. Champagne and Chablis have a unique soil type in common called Kimmeridgian, which isn’t found anywhere else in the world except southern England. Its vineyards cover hillsides surrounding the small village of Chablis about 100 miles north of Dijon, making it actually closer to Champagne than to Burgundy. The source of the most racy, light and tactile, yet uniquely complex Chardonnay, Chablis, while considered part of Burgundy, actually reaches far past the most northern stretch of the Côte d’Or proper. The wines receive a gentle filtration before bottling. All wines are vinified and aged in stainless steel tanks except for grand cru Valmur which ages in up to 25% new 500-liter French oak. Fermentation is spontaneous except for Petit Chablis, and malolactic fermentation is controlled depending on the vineyard and vintage. “We’re using the third generation of machine harvester,” says Louis, “it’s very gentle and works well when we need to be quick.” The premier and grand crus are hand-harvested, and whole bunches go directly into the press. ![]() Petit Chablis and Chablis are machine-harvested. Massal selection is the preferred method of replanting. Vineyards are farmed lutte raisonée with some of the premier cru and grand cru vineyards in conversion to organic. ![]() The Clos des Hospices dans Les Clos, located towards the bottom of Les Clos, is bottled separately from Les Clos in only the best vintages. ![]() The grand crus include Blanchot, Vaudésir, Valmur, and Les Clos. The three premier crus are Vaulignot, Vaillons, and Fourneaux, each of them in a side valley of the Serein river. Village-level Chablis is from classic Kimmeridgian clay and is from parcels mainly in Beines and near the town of Chablis. Petit Chablis comes from the sandy-Portlandian limestone soils of the plateau above the valley. The domaine is made up of an impressive number of premier cru and grand cru vineyards with additional holdings in Chablis and Petit Chablis totaling 50 hectares. Louis seeks clarity of site in each of his wines and all his decisions in the vineyard and cellar are meant to bring out the personality of each terroir. Louis Moreau owns parcels in four of Chablis’ seven grand cru climats including the grand cru Clos des Hospices dans Les Clos, three premier crus, and several plots in the Chablis and Petit Chablis appellations. Louis and his wife Anne founded the domaine in 1994 with half the family vineyards once leased to the négocaint firm J. Domaine Louis Moreau is a 50-hectare estate based in the commune of Beines in the heart of the Chablis appellation.
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