Puligny Montrachet Joseph Drouhin

Grape Variety : Chardonnay.

Vineyard
Site: the middle part of the Côte de Beaune is famous of its great wines. Puligny-Montrachet, as one of the villages of the Côte des Blancs, is one of these celebrated appellations.
History & tradition: made famous by the illustrious Montrachet Grand Cru vineyard, Puligny has an ancient origin. Puligny may have belonged to a certain Pullius during the Roman empire. His estate was called "Pulliniacus" from which is derived the name Puligny (i.e. the property of Pullius, a fairly common name at the time).
Soil: limestone. Mixture of ochre earth and small pebbles.

Viticulture
Plantation density: 10,000 stocks/ha in order to extract all possible nuances from the terroir.
Pruning: Guyot.
Yield: 51hl/ha, low on purpose to limit the production of each vine stock.
Supply: grapes and must purchased from regular suppliers with long term contracts.

Vinification
Pressing: very slow so as to respect fruit. Juices from the very last pressings are not retained.
No yeasts or enzymes are used. The wine goes directly into barrels after "débourbage" (decanting of white wine to reduce sediment).

Ageing
Type: in barrels (25% 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.
Follow-up: barrel by barrel.

Serving
Temperature: 13°C (55°C).
Cellaring: 8 to 20 years.