LE BLANC DE BLANCS
ORGANIC WINE 2016
TERROIR
AOC Côtes de Provence.
The coastal land of Château Barbeyrolles is located in the Maures hills area, on the peninsula of Saint-Tropez. All twelve hectares have shaley soils dating back to the Paleozoïc era.
GRAPES
54% Sémillon, 46% Rolle.
Average age of the vines : 35 years old.
VINTAGE
Winter and spring 2015/16 were soft and dry. The months of may and june were colder than usually. Flowering started on may 15th on the grenaches and both flowering and fruit set went well. The mistral, which has been very present since the beginning of the year, helped to ensure a very good sanitary state within the vineyard. July and August have been warm and dry, but the nights remained cold : this always contributes to an excellent maturity, also helped by growing methods as well as the deep rootedness of the vines. The harvest started on august 22th and finished on September 14th.
GROWING
The vineyards are worked by hand, using natural animal fertilizers and treating the soil with sulphur and copper only from 3 generations. We do not use any chemical weed killers. Buds are trimmed and a green harvest is practice to purposefully limit yields. A part of the vineyard is plowed with horses. The area between the rows of vines is grassed over with cereals.
VINIFICATION
All grapes are harvested by hand, sorted, not de-stemmed and directly loaded into the press without crushing. The grapes are lightly pressed so as to obtain optimum delicacy and fragrance from the very heart of the grapes. Wines ferment with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel, gravity-fed cuves and it undergoes malolactic fermentation. Bottled at Château Barbeyrolles.
TASTING NOTES
Underneath its pale golden color with yellow-lemon hues, the nose shows a clean, fine character. The flavors are sweet, inviting, such as the ripe pear notes. Some aniseed and tarragon hints complete the harmony, bringing freshness. As the wine breathes, a citrusy feeling comes along, reminding the exotic yuzu, as well as the cedrate.
The mouthfeel is silky, the sweet perfumes are typical for the 2015 vintage. Some honey notes mix with zesty citrus, bringing up some subtle bitterness and lingering minerality on the finish. This slightly smoky, savory aftertaste could remind some volcanic terroirs, without having their lively footprint.
Enjoy it now, served with a John Dory filet, sorrel and citrus foamy sabayon. If cellared for 4-5 years on, one can taste it with some guinea fowl breast, roasted with herbs butter under the skin.
