LE CUL DE BEAUJEU 2022 (Domaine DELAPORTE)

DESCRIPTION

This wine is as exceptional as it is rare. This place has a name that can be somewhat surprising: it is due to a distortion of pronunciation over the centuries since it was formerly called "Clos de Beaujeu" by the monks that were in charge of this plot.

The plot worked by the Estate has here a distinctive feature: it is the only one to be planted with red vines of Pinot Noir.

TERROIR

The soils of the Sancerre vineyards have been shaped by erosion from the different geological facies exposed by numerous faults, including the two famous north-south faults known as the Sancerre and Thauvenay faults, which cross the vineyards from one side to the other.
These bring the Upper Jurassic (-154 to -140 Ma) layers to the west into contact with the Cretaceous (-96 to -65 Ma) and Eocene (-64 to -34 Ma) formations to the east.

The vines of the LE CUL DE BEAUJEU location are planted in a soil consisting of blue-toned Kimmeridgian marls (Upper Jurassic) that whiten in the sun, locally called terres blanches ("The white lands"), and that are full of small fossilized oysters and molluscs. The Pinot Noir vine develops aromas of great complexity and great fineness.

WINEGROWING & WINEMAKING

The grapes are cultivated according to the Organic Farming principles for which the estate is converting for its certification in 2023.
They are harvested in 12 kg boxes which preserve the berries integrity and limits the juice oxidation. In the cellar, the grapes are destemmed and sorted before being vatted for a 25 days maceration.
A daily pumping over, a technique that consists of drawing off the juice from the tank bottom and pouring it back to the top cap of marc allows the skins to be reincorporated into the fermentation juice in order to diffuse a maximum of color and aromas.

The juice is then pressed and racked into 228-liter oak barrels (25% of new barrels, 25% of barrels from one wine, 25% of barrels from two wines and 25% of barrels from three wines) where the must will complete its malolactic fermentation and will rest for 12 months.
The wine is neither fined nor filtered before bottling.

The bottle is sealed with a DIAM5® cork stopper which guarantees the absence of TCA contamination of the wine (or cork taste)