Bourgogne Chardonnay
Les Ursulines 2022
The beating heart of the Maison Jean-Claude Boisset is Les Ursulines, and this wine is the quintessential expression of the winery, and is both an initiation into Burgundy and a great wine in its own right.
Origin
This ‘vast’ appellation brings together four great regions; Yonne to the north, with its fresh, mineral wines, followed by the Côte d’Or, with its rounder, deeper whites, the Côte Chalonnaise with its pleasant wines, and lastly the Mâcon region to the south, with a range of styles varying with the individual soil and exposure.
Viticulture
Grape variety: Chardonnay
Soils: clay-limestone
Orientation: mostly southeast / south
Average age of the vines: 25-45 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: between September 1 and 13, 2022.
The grapes were handpicked and collected in 20-kg perforated crates.
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 with no settling to preserve a maximum of lees. Very long fermentation using indigenous yeasts.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 6 months with no racking or stirring to bring out all of this wine’s minerality. A proportion of 10% new gently toasted French oak barrels were used for very delicate oaking.
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: in March 2023.
Vintage
Abundance and excellence!
Despite the drought, we saw consistent volumes combined with quality. Almost no sorting was required as the grapes were superb. The winemaking process went smoothly. Perfect conditions offering the potential for some very fine wines.
Ageing potential: from 3 to 5 years.
Awards
Chardonnay du Monde - Gold medal
DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS - 90 pts - Silver Medal
SAKURA Japan Women's Wine Awards - Double Gold medal
Jancis Robinson MW - 16 / 20
Tasting notes
With a nice golden color, this wine develops greedy white fruit and citrus aromas with some toasted notes. On the palate, there is a nice freshness but also a lot of suppleness. This wine is salivating!
