From: Chablis, Burgundy, France
Varietal: Chardonnay
Taste: A racy, elegant wine with beautiful minerality, offering delicate notes of white blossom and orchard fruit. The 2021 Les Fourchaumes Vieilles Vignes weaves citrus, stone fruit, and floral notes with a rich texture and a lingering minerality. This a wine with an expansive breadth of texture that comes into its own with some exposure to oxygen. While delicious anytime, for the optimal experience, we recommend letting the wine sit open or decanted and let it come up to temp rather than serving it at fridge temperature.
Wine Notes: The 2021 vintage can be described as late as we have been used to earlier and earlier harvests in recent years. The manual harvest started on September 21st in the parcels of Vieille Voye / Vaillons / Butteaux and Blanchots. Following rain episodes, the sanitary pressure was present but controlled by our technical teams. In the end, the juices presented promising balanced profiles, which were confirmed during the maturation. The tastings conducted in the cellars showed the finesse and the excellent acidity present in the wines.
Hand harvest and sorting at the winery. Fermentation 100% in French oak barrels (228L, 400L, 600L from 1 to 7 years old) in historical cellars of the IXth century at Obédiencerie. Aging on fine lees in the same casks on average 9 months, then after the final blend, the aging continues until bottling.
Old vines planted on a slope well-exposed to the south and west, sheltered from the northern wind, make Fourchaumes one of the most spectacular vineyards of Domaine Laroche.
About: Founded in 1859, the winery has been a cornerstone of the Chablis region, renowned for producing some of the finest white wines in the world. La Roche Winery was established by Jean-Baptiste La Roche, a visionary winemaker who saw the potential in the rugged limestone hills of Chablis. He was one of the early pioneers in the region, dedicating himself to cultivating the Chardonnay grape, which would later become synonymous with Chablis. Jean-Baptiste's meticulous attention to detail and respect for the terroir laid the foundation for the winery's enduring success.
For over a century, La Roche has remained a family-owned and operated winery, with each generation bringing new energy and ideas while upholding the time-honored traditions of their ancestors. The La Roche family has always believed in the importance of sustainable farming practices, and they have been stewards of the land long before it became a popular notion. Their vineyards are carefully tended, focusing on maintaining the health of the soil and the vines, ensuring that each bottle of wine truly reflects the unique character of the Chablis terroir.
While deeply rooted in tradition, La Roche Winery has never shied away from innovation. The current generation, led by Sophie La Roche, has embraced modern winemaking techniques that enhance the quality of their wines without compromising their heritage. Sophie's approach to winemaking is a blend of art and science, with a particular emphasis on precision viticulture and minimal intervention in the cellar. This philosophy allows the natural qualities of the grapes to shine through, resulting in elegant, complex, and distinctly expressive wines of their origin.