Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot Joseph Drouhin

Grape Variety : Chardonnay.

Vineyard
Site: south of the Côte de Beaune, not too far from the city of Beaune. It is one of the famous villages of the "Côte des Blancs" producing great white wines (the others are Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet).
History & tradition: the vineyard (2.26 ha - 5.65 acres) is on a gradual slope. Some old buildings, partially ruined, are found at mid-slope - the Abbey of Morgeot. It had two owners: men of prayer and men of the sword: monks from the abbey and the Laguiche family. During the French Revolution, the abbey was ruined but the estate of the Laguiche family was spared and remains to this day.
Soil: marl and limestone.

Viticulture
Plantation density: from 10,000 stocks/ha in order to extract all possible nuances from the terroir.
Pruning: Guyot.
Yield: 52hl/ha. Low on purpose to limit the production of each vine stock.

Vinification
Harvesting: by hand, in small open crates in order to preserve the integrity of the fruit.
Sorting: if necessary, the grapes are sorted twice : once when being picked, the second time on the sorting table at the winery.
Pressing: very slow so as to respect fruit. Juices from the very last pressings are not retained.
The wine goes directly into barrels after débourbage (decanting of white wine to reduce sediment).

Ageing
Type: in barrels (20% in new oak).
Length: 12 months.
Origin of the wood: French oak forests.
Weathering of the wood: Joseph Drouhin insists on total control of the weathering for a period of 3 years, one of the contributing elements to the elegance of the wine.

Throughout the ageing process, decisions are taken only after careful tasting evaluation. The data obtained is then completed through technical analysis. As with every other Joseph Drouhin wine, absolute priority is given to the true expression of terroir and character of the vintage.

Tasting note by Véronique Boss-Drouhin
"This is a wonderful occasion to savour a great wine.Admirable light golden colour. Intense and elegant aromas come to the fore : hawthorn, apricot notes, evolving towards hints of blond tobacco. As the wine ages, there are nuances of dried fruit and rare spices. A silky texture and a subtle touch of tannin give a true personality to the wine. Remarkable aftertaste. A great white Burgundy!".

Serving

Temperature: 13°C (55°F).
Cellaring: 7 to 20 years.