Domaine R. Dubois & Fils Hautes Cotes de Beaune Blanc “Les Montbatois”
WHY WE LOVE IT
- This wine of personality can delight as a young wine, but it is preferable to wait 3 or 4 years to see it express the full potential of Chardonnay.
- These vines in the Hautes Côtes, located parallel to the coast above the town of Beaune adorn the well exposed slopes of the hills dominating the coast at a average altitude (300 to 400 meters).
- The soil is clay-limestone with 40 cm of earth and lava strata. The plots are respectively 8 years old, 15 years old and 55 years old.
- This white wine, thanks to its good mellowness, do not have to be served too cold; a temperature of 12°C to 14°C is recommended.
Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Elaboration: Traditionally harvested grapes are pressed to extract the juice, which is placed then in a tank for static settling. The clear juice is housed in barrels and in vats where it will be seeded with yeast to start the alcoholic fermentation. Fermentation temperatures are maintained between 16 and 19°C to obtain youthful aromas. After 10 days of fermentation, the wines are racked and placed in the cellar.
This wine remains in the cellar for 10 months where it undergoes a second fermentation. malolactic fermentation which allows stabilization of the structure of the wine. This fermentation completed, the wines are prepared for bottling.
Tasting Notes: It has a firmness always attenuated by the softness of the Chardonnay. Its structure is both elegant and solid following passage in new barrels. It exudes a mixture of citrus aromas, apples then over time, honey, almond, supported by the toast of new wood.
PRESS
n/a
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
The history of Dubois winegrowers begins around 1600 with the birth of Emiland Dubois, the first ancestor and winegrower to be found in official records. More recently, Louis Dubois (1874 – 1947) took over his first plot of vines in 1898, then developed the estate with 5 acres of vines in the village of Premeaux-Prissey and Nuits-Saint-Georges. His son, Robert (1910 – 2004), devoted his life to the estate’s vines, and further increased its size by acquiring his first Nuits Premier Cru plot in 1961. Régis Dubois (born 1939), took up the reins with his wife Christiane, and extended the vineyard from 10 to 25 acres, and then to 50 acres. To increase the value of the wine, he began to bottle the production from 1969 onwards. Presently, Régis manages the technical matters of the domaine.
The fourth generation begins in 1969 with the birth of Raphaël. Since 2006, the vineyard has been managed by Raphaël and his sister, Béatrice Dubois. Raphaël oversees the marketing of the wines and public relations. Béatrice is an oenologist who is truly passionate about wine. She divides her time between producing, analyzing and monitoring the estate’s wines, and customer tastings all over the world, which have now replaced her vinification work in the southern hemisphere.