CHABLIS PREMIER CRU `VAUCOUPIN`

CHABLIS PREMIER CRU "VAUCOUPIN" 2014

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2014

Grape variety

100% Chardonnay

Tasting notes

Pale gold colour.
Intense nose with aromas of orange zest, hazelnut and toasted almonds.
The palate is powerful and fresh combining minerality and white fruit. The soft finish reminiscent of brioche.

Ageing potential

5 to 10 years

History

The most recent list of Chablis premier crus was established in 1986. Seventy-nine place names were listed there covering an area of some 700 hectares. The winegrowers of Chablis organized these into 17 “umbrella” vineyards. The vines are planted along the valley of the Serein river in the communes of Chablis, Fontenay, Maligny, Chichée, La Chapelle-Vaupelteigne, Courgis, Fleys and Beines.

Vinification and maturing

- machine-harvested, delivered partially crushed to the winery
- pneumatic pressing - cold static settling
- Alcoholic fermentation during 7 or 10 days in stainless-steel temperature-controlled vats (18-20ºC) to preserve a maximum fruit
- 100% malolactic fermentation with selected bacteria
- pumping over every fortnight and ageing on lees

Vintage : 2014

After an extremely mild winter, the vine buds burst in the first days of April, three weeks earlier than in 2013. A touch of frost was felt at the end of the month, affecting several vineyards on the lower slopes and leading a loss of 20-30%. This dip in temperature markedly slowed the development of the vines. Climatic conditions were optimal at the start of June, with warm, dry weather encouraging the first flowering in certain sectors, although this varied considerably from plot to plot. The spike in warmth in June caused ‘shatter’ of flowers in many places. July was notable for wide temperature variations, from 8.5 to 36.2°C, leading to some scorching of the plants. August was damp and it was a challenge to stay on top of the vine diseases. Nonetheless, ripening continued steadily and the average yield on the vines allowed for a very satisfactory concentration of sugars.