RULLY > BOUCHARD Ainé & Fils

RULLY 2020

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2020 2022 2023

Varietal

100% Chardonnay.

Tasting notes

Colour: Elgant golden colour, typical from the chardonnay.

Bouquet: Very intricate flavours of violets and walnuts.

Palate: A lot of softness on the palate. A racy wine with good vivacity and balance.

Food and wine pairing

White Rully will be perfect for aperitif, or with fish, shellfish, frogs' legs, snails, and poultry, pork, or veal with cream sauce.

Serving suggestions

Serve at a temperature of 12 to 14°C. (53-55°F.)

Ageing potential

As all other Burgundy white village wines, Rully blanc will improve gradually over a period of about 3 to 8 years after the vintage.

Origins

A village appellation in the Côte Chalonnaise, harvested in the village of Rully.

The appellation's vineyards cover 370 hectares, 2/3 of which are white, not far from the magnificent vineyards of Puligny Montrachet and Meursault to the north and Mercurey and Givry to the south.

Rully is a very old vineyard, developed by the Dukes of Burgundy. Its vineyards stretch over slopes at an altitude of over 200 metres, overlooking the Saône plain.

Subtle differences in the wines are due to differences in soil, exposure and altitude, all of which vary considerably hereabouts. At heights of 230 to 300 metres, the coastal slopes produce wines that can rival the best of the nearby Côte de Beaune.

Vinification and maturing

The grapes are harvested by hand and after pressing the grapes, a cold settling of 12 hours at 8°C. (46°F.) is made.

Then the juices were put in tank and in barrels (15% new one) for both fermentation alcoholic and malolactic and aged 10 months on its fine lees.

Vintage : 2020

The current public health crisis has certainly marked this year’s harvest, which nonetheless has been able to go ahead! Despite the year’s record temperatures and lack of rainfall, there is been no lack of quality, although yields are down, with an especially mixed picture with regard to reds. However, these have generally been very well-balanced. Overall, we have seen nice levels of acidity, promising good aging potential…

All over Burgundy, 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 marvellous 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.

A very promising year for the whites with a fine balance between acidity and alcohol and intense white fruit aromas. Alcoholic fermentation in barrels lasted four weeks. Millerandage affected the reds leading to less juice but nice colour and distinct red berry aromas. With its generous tannins, this year looks set to be one to cellar.