Bouchard Aine & Fils Savigny-Les-Beaune Blanc 2015

VARIETAL: 100% Chardonnay

TASTING NOTES: Colour: golden yellow, limpid and brilliant.  

Nose: floral and citrusy, with a lighly oaked background. 

Taste: fresh and lively, straight and tight.

FOOD AND WINE PAIRING: Serve with hors-d’œuvres, delicate cooked meats, fish, omelettes or goat cheeses.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve ideally between 11 and 13 °C (55-55°F)

ORIGINS: An appellation from the Côte de Beaune which takes its name from the village. The vineyard spreads over 400 hectares of which 1/3 is Premier Cru rated and only 10% produces white wine.

The vineyard is situated on gentle- to steep-rising slopes between 250 and 400 metres altitude. The soils are gravelly in places, with a predominance of more brown-red clayey limestone, more pebbly on the low slopes.

The vineyard undergoes stringent care and attention with draconian methods with grape yields for example and also strict cultivation methods which favour and encourage a microbial environment necessary for the terroir expression. The vines from which these grapes are harvested originate from a “lieu-dit” – Les Bas Liards – whose name evokes the bottom, the sediment. The plot is located down the slope, where the soil is rich and deep.

VINIFICATION AND MATURING: Harvest date: October 3rd

Grapes were hand-picked and collected in small perforated cases. The whole bunches were gently pressed for a long time to get the best quality of juice possible. The must temperature was then lowered to 12° C to postpone the beginning of fermentation and allow for settling over 48 hours. Once cleared, the alcoholic fermentation could start in tanks using the “indigenous” yeasts.

The must was then transferred in French oak barrels for a 9 months-ageing period using 15% new oak barrels which underwent a long firing at low temperature for light, subtle, delicate oak flavours. The malolactic fermentation was not completed to keep some tension in the wine and we only stirred it twice during its maturing with this same purpose.

VINTAGE : 2015

This vintage stands out thanks to a winning combination: grapes with optimum maturity and great sanitary conditions.

Winter went by with a quite mild weather and spring wasn’t long to settle as temperatures rocketed remarkably. And temperatures continued to heighten until the end of August along with a supplementary amount of sunshine in June and July. In these exceptional conditions, everything moved very fast. The flowering took place quick and early in June, and the grapes began to ripen in the first two weeks of July. The only fly in the ointment is the dryness the vineyard suffered, which caused some damage: some leaves and berries were scorched and some millerandage was observed on the Pinot Noir. So, these phenomenon lessened somewhat the yields in the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune.

Luckily, the great sanitary conditions in the vineyard allowed us to settle the harvest date with the best maturity as a single target. It also allowed us to keep more whole bunches during the vinifications which will give wines with greater complexity. White wines are very rich and expressive, with white fruits notes and a great aromatic pureness.

All in all, 2015 is already a scrumptious vintage!

100% Pinot Blanc.

Although born in Burgundy, the Pinot Blanc is rarely found in the region. The grapes of Pinot Blanc are compact, cylindrical and the berries are small. This varietal is suitable for the northern regions. Savigny-lès-Beaune is one of the few appellations whose specifications permit the use of 100% Pinot Blanc under exceptional circumstances.