Bourgogne Chardonnay
Nature d'Ursulines 2020
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 is also produce in white!
This cuvée is only made in the best years. For this vintage, it comes from two new parcels of the Côte de Beaune:
- "Les Parties" in the town of Puligny-Montrachet, to the south.
- "Les Planchottes" in the town of Meursault, 300m east of our village "Le Limozin".
It seemed logical to us to sublimate these terroirs by a vinification without sulfur. A generic wine with class!
Viticulture
Grape variety: Chardonnay
Soils: predominantly limestone, soil a little richer in some parts.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 0.7064 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 64 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 16 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 26 August & 1st September 2020.
The grapes were handpicked.
At the winery: the whole bunches of grapes were gently pressed for 2½ hours. The temperature of the must was brought down to 12°C then was immediately transferred to barrels (450L) with no settling to preserve a maximum of lees. Long fermentation using indigenous yeasts for added complexity and freshness.Vinification without sulfur.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 17 months with no racking or stirring to bring out all of this wine’s minerality. A proportion of 50% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a subtle, delicate touch of oak were used.
Bottling
Bottling: using gravity in March 2022.
Number of bottles: 5,643 & 200 magnums.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes.
'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: from 7 to 12 years.
Tasting notes
With its beautiful pale yellow color with golden reflections, this wine develops aromas of white peaches, yellow lemons, acacia and some toasted notes. On the palate, this wine is acidic and has a nice, slightly buttery texture. A wine that makes you salivate!
