SAINT-AUBIN 2016

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2016  

Saint-Aubin is a village appellation in the Côte de Beaune, knowns for its prestigious dry, long-keeping white wines, as well as some very fine red wines. Saint-Aubin's vineyards are planted on various south, south-east, south-west and north-east facing ridges. Its slopes are fairly steep, especially those adjoining the Puligny-Montrachet vineyards.

The vines are mainly planted on the right flack of the wide coomb which snakes its way up towards La Rochepot. The appellation area is spread over two different hill ranges: one is the Montagne de Savoie, which delimits the end of the Côte d’Or, and the other is the Montagne du Ban perpendicular to it.

100% Chardonnay

COLOR: pale gold slightly green.
NOSE: The whole range of linden trees, white flowers with some minerals accents.
PALATE: It offers a good minerality that time rounds revealing a good mellow.

The grapes are harvested by hand and sorted manually upon arrival in the vats room. They are then pressed in a pneumatic press which allows a perfect extraction of the juice while respecting the integrity of the grapes. Start of the alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats for a better homogenization of the cuvée and to obtain a significant turbidity. After 3 to 4 days, the wine is then sung in oak barrels of 1 to 2 wines, light heat, for a long aging on fine lees, without stirring.
The blend of the vintage will be made in stainless steel vats where it will remain for 2 to 3 weeks. Bottled in November 2017 after bentonite gluing and light filtration.

ts nobility and distinction derives from a subtle balance between elegant freshness and a rich but not excessive unctuousness which gives it great fluidity in the mouth. With a wine like this, firm-textured fish and grilled or steamed crustaceans would be at ease. It would also make a perfect finishing touch to dense-fleshed poultry.

12 to 14°C

5 to 7 years.

2016, if it is small by its quantity, is a great vintage by its quality.
After a mild winter, nobody suspected that the spring would bring a polar spell hitting a record area of vines at the end of April with a devastating frost. The episodes of hail that followed on the Mâconnais and the northern parts of the Bourgogne region once again reduced the harvest, while exceptional rainfall also made things difficult in the vines. Fortunately, June marked the start of a hot, sunny spell, and the vines started to get back on track. Flowering, budburst, and ripening happened undisturbed, and the weather at the end of the season was fine. Harvesting began on 20 September and continued through to mid-October.
Vintage 2016 thus offers some fine surprises with wines of potentially high quality. The white wines have fine fruit aromas, are generous with good body and will be ready to drink while young whereas the red wines are powerful, tender, concentrated and will be ideal for ageing.