About this WINE
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
Bright with pale green tints. This is a very fine classical Chablis, perfumed and chalky, with plenty of substance behind. In youth it has a delightful saline quality, while the exuberance of the fruit makes it a delight to drink. One of Jean-Claude’s very best.
Jasper Morris MW - Wine Buyer
Attractive colour with lemon tinges. Somewhat refined on the nose, with delicate aromas of green apple, flint and lemon wax. A little weight mid-palate, good texture throughout and flavours of blanched almond, white currants and citrus. A more classic style of Chablis with great tension , acidity and a flinty character throughout. Persistent, elegant and extremely enjoyable, drinking 2016 - 2020.
Chris Lamb, Private Account Manager
Based in La Chapelle Vaupelteigne, north of Chablis itself, Jean-Claude's first vintage was the 1992. Though trained as an architect Jean-Claude Bessin preferred to take over the vineyards of his Tremblay father-in-law who at the time adhered to the local co-operative.
From his 12 HA of vines Jean-Claude now produces Chablis Vieilles Vignes, and 1er Crus: Montmains, Fourchaume and Grand Cru Valmur. A special cuvée of Fourchaume is labelled as La Pièce au Comte. In 2006 Jean-Claude decided that the quality of his La Forêt parcel within the climat of Montmains was of such quality that it has since been bottled separately. If the quality of the 2013 is anything to go by his decision was certainly justified
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