Hermitage Blanc, Chante-Alouette, Organic, M.Chapoutier

Made from 100% Marsanne hand-harvested from three different vineyards: Le Méal, has old fluvio-glacial alluvial deposit soil with numerous deposits; Les Murets with granitic soils and alluvial deposits again granitic, Chante-Alouette is set on loess soil with a fine layer of clay and limestone. Michel Chapoutier chooses not to use Roussanne in the blend believing it to age too quickly. After pressing, the must is cold-settled for 48 hours. One third is vinified in big, 600-litre, wooden barrels which iare regularly stirred, and the rest in vats. The temperature of fermentation is regulated at around 19°C in order to develop the aromatic complexity of wines. Before bottling, the wine is checked by frequent tasting to determine the appropriate ageing period, usually from 10 to 12 months. Green-gold; the nose is complex and subtle, aromas of quince, walnut, honey, ginger and acacia; the minerally palate is weighty, elegant and lengthy.