Domaine Laroche - Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots 2017

A real elegance appears in this grand cru, with a typical spring blossom aromas and a delicate mineral finish. On the palate, it offers a silky mouthfeel supported by a lively, racy acidity. Blanchots is delicate, silky and shows its charm after five years in bottle and at peak after 10 to 12 years.

The 2017 Chablis Les Blanchots Grand Cru is airy in the glass, with a real feeling of translucent energy that distinguishes it in this range. White flowers, citrus, orchard fruit and light tropical accents all grace this understated, nuanced 1er Cru. This is such a pretty wine.

Vintage Report: A precocious season with buds showing in early April. The cold wave that followed slowed down the growth, leaving good conditions for the flowering beginning of June. This singular season offered beautiful bunches and quality grapes with good health conditions. Once pressed, the juices were precise, straight, with great texture. This vintage will bring well-structured wines with a nice freshness.

Fermentation: The must ferments for 3 weeks, 60% in stainless-steel vats, where the temperature gradually increases from 16° C to 19° C (61° F to 66° F). The rest ferments in French oak barrels, of which 15% is new).

Aging: 9 months (around 60% in stainless-steel vats and the rest in French oak barrels. Then, 6 months aging in bottles.

Filtration: Minimal filtration is used to preserve and maximize the natural character of the wine.

Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol: 12.5%

The vineyards of Domaine Laroche are spread out across the entire region of Chablis, located in the northernmost section of Burgundy, 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Paris, between Champagne and the Côte d’Or. Chardonnay is a vigorous variety that therefore requires careful fruit-quantity control. The Domaine Laroche philosophy relies on one-man plots, meaning that one person is wholly responsible for the care of a single vineyard parcel, from the pruning, soil conditioning and control of yields to the sorting of the harvest. Springtime frost, less frequent now with climate change, remains a constant risk that conditions the viticulture. Thus, pruning takes place twice, in order to prevent early budburst that would expose the plants to an April or May frost, as well as to shape the vines and control yields. Domaine Laroche implements a systematic debudding in order to space the branches, ventilate the grapes and control yields. This work is completed by a green harvest if the quantity of grapes is excessive. For five generations, the Laroche family has produced top-quality wines from the Chablis appellation, and today Domaine Laroche ranks among the most prestigious of Burgundy’s wine producers. The origins of the estate date back to 1850, when a vineyard worker names Jean-Victor Laroche bought a small plot of vines. Three generations of modest expansion were followed by a boom in the 1960s when, father and son Henri and Michel Laroche expanded their holdings considerably in the region. The past three decades have seen the domaine flourish under the guidance of Michel, whose commitment to authenticity, purity and typicite has popularized the steely, elegant wine in general – and the Laroche brand in particular – the world over. In April 2011 Greory Viennois joined Laroche as Technical Director, enhancing Laroche distinctive style through all the wines. He is helped by technical teams of all estates to carry out the most recent advances made in viticulture and oenology.