Bourgogne Chardonnay
Nature d'Ursulines 2017
This wine is made from selected plots, with no sulfur used during vinification to capture its true nature as closely as possible, with nothing added and nothing taken away.
This results in a natural, pure Burgundy, dense and elegant, its character underscored by a powerful structure with good volume. The unbridled expression of a free wine.
Origin
This wine, Bourgogne Nature d'Ursulines comes for the first time in white! It comes from our Chardonnay contract located in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits in organic viticulture that we have been following since the 2012 vintage. It seemed logical to sublimate this terroir with a sulfur-free vinification.This cuvée is only made in the best years.
This appellation is unique as it is considered to be a regional appellation, though it is limited to a restricted area. The vineyards run parallel to those of the Côte de Nuits (to the west), but are higher in altitude. The soil is composed of limestone outcrops that Chardonnay thrives in and that lend character and lovely freshness to the wine. A generic wine with class!
Viticulture
Grape variety: Chardonnay
Soils: Jurassic limestone plateau
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 1.05ha
Pruning: Vignes hautes with Guyot system
Yield: 30hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 35 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 20 September 2017.
The grapes were handpicked.
At the winery: the whole bunches of grapes were gently pressed for 2½ hours. The temperature of the must was cooled to 12°C and was transferred directly into 450L barrels without settling of the must in order to keep most of the lees. Very long fermentation period using indigenous yeasts.Vinification without sulfur.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 18 months without being racked. The lees were not stirred so as to allow all of the wine’s minerality to shine through, witj a proportion of 30% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels was used; they were toasted for a long time and at a low temperature to impart a subtle, delicate flavour to the wine.
Bottling
Bottling: April 2019, by gravity.
Number of bottles: 1,342.
Vintage
2017, finesse
The growing cycle was thrown off-kilter by a very cold winter, late spring frost, then optimal conditions for rapid flowering, sporadic hail, and summer drought. Harvesting began in early September in the sun, and after several lean years, the vines finally produced abundant grapes, although with significant differences in maturity between whites and reds and from one region to another, which called for strict sorting.
Ageing potential: from 4 to 6 years.
Tasting notes
With a brilliant straw yellow color, this Bourgogne Chardonnay Nature wine has class, with its complex aromas of citrus and honeysuckle, as well as these few smoky notes. This very precise wine is distinguished by its beautiful freshness and smoothness on the palate.
