-
231 Champagne AC Extra-Brut Blanc d’Argile
Vouette et Sorbée, Bertrand GautherotGrape:100% Chardonnay BdeB (12% alc.)
This comes from a tiny yield of chardonnay produced from a massale selection of cuttings from Anselme Selosse’s Avize vineyard and a famous Chablis grand cru producer (Bertrand wouldn’t divulge the name!). In fact the soils and terroir here are very similar to the limestone vineyards of the Chablis Grand Cru Valmur. Made from the 2007 vintage, oak aged and disgorged without dosage in January 2010, it is a richer style than many blanc de blancs champagnes, like a really good Chablis with bubbles. Certified bio-dynamic. Very limited quantity. For drinking now to 2013.
Technical Information Winemaker: Bertrand Gautherot Location: Buxières sur Arce Size of
domaine:4 hectares Grape: 100% Chardonnay 5 years old in 2004. Massale selection from Anselme Selosse’s Avize grand cru vines and a grower on Chablis Valmur Grand Cru Terroir: Kimmeridgian limestone and clay soil Viticulture: Uses an ancient type of root stock (S04). Leaves grass to grow between rows and ploughs in the spring. Just 1 ‘baguette’ used on the vine compared to 3 in Vertus. Bio-dynamic viticulture. To avoid compaction of soils he uses only light caterpillar tractors - Manual harvest stretched over 3 weeks. Yields have averaged 17 hectos per hectare. Vinification: Natural yeasts. Grapes slowly pressed in a traditional vertical ‘coquard’ press. Juice transferred into oak via gravity rather than being pumped. Alcohol + malo-lactic ferments in oak. Mix of fûts and 400 lt barrels. Buys barrels from Arnaud Ente in Meursault and also Marsannay 400 ltr barrels. Oldest are 8 yrs. Bottled off in Aug ) and given 15 months sur latte. Disgorged with zero dosage in Dec/Jan. Press: