PETIT CHABLIS > BOUCHARD Ainé & Fils

PETIT CHABLIS 2020

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2022 2023 2024

Varietal

100% Chardonnay.

Tasting notes

Colour: Pale golden color, limpid, and bright.

Nose: A bouquet of white flower aromas (acacia) mixed with notes of citrus (lemon, grapefruit) with a mineral (gun-flint) and fruity base (white fruits).

Palate: The mouth is vivid and light, with a well-balanced acidity. An enthusiastic attack is followed by a pleasant roundness. Its full body pairs perfectly with its freshness and offers a persistent sensation on the palate.

Food and wine pairing

Though born far from the sea, Petit-Chablis nevertheless has a tang of ozone about it which calls for oysters, raw fish, and prawns (raw, grilled, or in sauce). It also makes a willing partner for small river fish (fried), grilled sardines, and numerous other fish species. But above all it is its frisky and energetic character which constitutes its charm. In the same way, it lends definition to tripe sausages (andouillettes) and snails (escargots). Goat’s cheese is perfectly at ease with its roguish appeal, as are pressed or hard cheeses such as Gouda or Gruyère. Its freshness and simplicity make it an ideal wine for summer salads or as a pre-dinner drink - try serving it with savory puff pastries (gougères).

Serving suggestions

Serve ideally between 12° and 14°C / 54 - 57°F.

Ageing potential

This wine can be enjoyed now or kept in the cellar for the next 2 years.

Origins

Village Appellation of the Chablis wine-growing district (dept. of Yonne) in the north of Burgundy. This appellation may be grown in any of the communes within the delimited area of the Chablis wine-growing district.

The vineyards of the Petit-Chablis appellation lie on either side of the River Serein. This AOC was instituted in 1944. It is one of the jewels in the crown of the Chablis district which, lying in the northernmost department of Burgundy, forms the « golden gate » to the region as a whole. A Chardonnay wine through and through, « Petit » Chablis has, in fact, nothing « little » about it.

These carefully selected terroirs occupy the higher portions of the winegrowing slopes or the edge of the plateau. The soils are brown and derived from hard limestones, with patches of sandy silts. Altitudes : mostly between 230 and 280 metres.

Vinification and maturing

Musts and grapes were brought in the winery for a long pressing.

Once the juice was settled, the fermentation started with the addition of selected yeasts in stainless steel tanks under controlled temperatures (between 18° and 20°C.) to preserve as much fruit as possible. In order to get a wine more supple, we let the malolactic fermentation begin 10 days after the alcoholic fermentation; it ended by the end of November.

The wine was then aged on partial lees for 4 to 5 months.

Vintage : 2020

2020 was notable for its mildness and low rainfall. After a winter with no serious frosts, we went straight into a spring dominated by sunny, dry weather, resulting in very early bud break. Infrequent outbreaks of rain in June and July were not enough to stave off water shortages.

Very high summer temperatures combined with intense sun exposure levels led to the vines gradually falling prey to hydric stress, causing delays to fruit ripening before harvest-time.

Once again, the vegetative cycle was shortened, being almost three weeks ahead of 2019’s. Thankfully, the harvest was saved by the relative cool of the nights. The harvest was of marvelous quality but there was very little juice in the red grapes (reduction of 30 to 50%), and reasonable potential alcohol, despite the heat.

The whites, on the other hand, coped very well with these extreme conditions and yields were very good.