Rene Bouvier Marsannay Le Clos Blanc 2013 1.5Ltr

Le Clos is a monopole of 3 hectares (? 7.5 acres) that we own south of the appellation Marsannay, in the village of Couchey, behind the Château. This slightly sloping, east-facing plot, the perfect terroir for white wines, is mainly composed of marl, with some more stony areas.
The grapes from these 40-year-old vines are harvested over several days, depending on their ripeness, and on their location in Le Clos.
The grapes are then sorted and the cuvée will take only the best grapes from the oldest vines.
The marly subsoil brings power to the wine, and harvesting on different dates gives additional complexity. This is why the Marsannay Le Clos Monopole has a clearly affirmed identity, with mature body, beautiful viscosity that envelops the palate, and strong minerality that structures the mouthfeel, with a long, mouth-watering finish.
In its deep and subtle aromas and bouquet, you will find fresh menthol notes, pepper, acacia, pear, peach, curry, and truffles.
It is one of the few terroirs devoted to white wines in the Côte de Nuits that can equal the quality of the best villages in the Côte de Beaune.
You will be able to keep these wines for 10 years or even more, depending on the vintage.
The grapes are pressed for 4 hours to delicately extract the must. The cuvée is kept in 600-litre barrels during the two fermentation processes (alcoholic and malolactic). The wine is then aged for 12 months in barrels, with another 6 months in stainless steel tanks.
Feel free to serve this wine as an aperitif, to liven up the taste buds. Jellied parsley ham (jambon persillé) is perfect with Le Clos, as are also white fish, such as sea bass cooked in meat juices and served with Tonka beans, or braised monkfish with orange sauce and mild spices, as well as shellfish, e.g. pan-fried crayfish with spring vegetables. Slow-cooked poultry and seasonal vegetables are also appropriate.

• Country: France
• Region: Burgundy
• Appellation: Cote De Nuits
• Sub Appellation: Marsannay
• Size: 1.5Ltr
• Color: White

Varietal

Chardonnay

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one that has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is Chardonnay. This green-skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity, which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.