Premier Cru Montmains
The vintage
The beginning of the year was marked by very little rainfall, particularly in February. After a mild winter, budburst occurred around 25 March, 8 days earlier than the average for the last 20 years. At the beginning of April, frost episodes as low as -4°C were recorded in Chablis without causing any damage. May continued to be cool, with a hailstorm on the 8th and cold mornings (0 to 2°C) accompanied by strong winds around mid-May. The weather began to warm up from 22 May onwards, and the first flowers appeared at the beginning of June in the Grands Crus. The summer that followed was hot and dry, with several heatwaves. The old vines with well-established root systems fared better than the younger plants, which suffered from the weather conditions. Rain did not arrive until the end of the harvest. The harvest began on 11 September in very hot weather. The grapes were a lovely golden colour, rather small, with excellent ripeness and good acidity.
Location
A 118-hectare appellation located on the left bank of the Serein River, featuring well-oriented lands that are highly frost-sensitive. The Montmains Premier Cru exhibits a distinct typicity linked to its very stony terroir, which imparts pronounced mineral aromas, extraordinary power, and excellent aging potential to the wine.
Terroir
Fairly deep soils over an airy Kimmeridgian subsoil, with a mix of marl and clays. The plots, oriented southeast, are located in the lieux-dits Montmains, Butteaux and Forêt, and are very representative of this Premier Cru.
Winemaking
Application of the principle of gravity to avoid any pumping that could compromise the quality of the wine. Short pneumatic pressing (1.5 to 2 hours) ensures a delicate separation of the solid and liquid parts of the grapes. Very light static settling is carried out to retain enough fine lees for natural alcoholic and malolactic fermentations. Vinification is conducted in stainless steel tanks. The wine is aged for 18 months, including 5 to 6 months on fine lees in French oak barrels for 30% of the cuvée. The aging process concludes in small stainless steel tanks.
Grapes
Tasting
A structured, lively, and mineral wine with good length on the palate.
Both precise and fresh, it exhibits exemplary concentration.
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