*Benoit Gautier’s Vineyard

Benoit Gautier’s Vineyard -Loire Valley Vineyard

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• Clos de la Lanterne 2005

In the ideal 2005 vintage, Benoit Gautier produced an exceptional, fully dry Clos La Lanterne . The grapes were harvested under perfect conditions on October 15th. The grapes fermented in 500 litre barrels (between 1-5 years old) in Gautier’s cool cellar for 2 months. After one racking to remove the gross lees, the young wine was aged on its fine lees for 9 more months, with occasional stirring of the lees for its enrichment. Maturation took place in Gautier’s cool cellar caves, which are cut into the limestone hillside. (Aging in these conditions naturally prevents the onset of malolactic fermentation, thus enhancing the wine’s freshness.) The Clos La Lanterne 2005 was bottled after a light filtration on September 7th, 2006. It expresses the perfect ripeness of the Chenin Blanc grapes in the 2005 vintage (flavors of citrus, pear and quince are in evidence now) and the complex minerality and raciness that is the hallmark of its vineyard of origin. The Clos La Lanterne 2005 can be enjoyed when young or aged for many years to com

• Cuvee of November the 5th ,2005

As the ideal Fall season proceeded, Benoit Gautier decided to leave a small, ¾ of a hectare parcel of grapes in the commune of Parcey-Meslay with which to make a late harvest cuvee, called Cuvee du 5 Novembre 2005. In late October, he did two tours of the vineyard to eliminate any grapes that were not ripening well so that all of fruit at harvest would be uniformly healthy and mature. Gautier harvested on November 5th, as the grapes had reached a level of 210 grams per litre of sugar. The yield was a mere 20 hl/ha. The choice of November 5th was dictated by the first frost of the season, which occurred in the early morning hours of that day. Gautier hurried to pick the fruit between 8 and 9:30 in the morning, when the temperature was still just below freezing. The time of picking had a two-fold significance: the frost had concentrated the juice while preserving acidity, and, because the day had yet to warm up, there was no excess moisture on the grape skins. Fermentation proceeded naturally for four months. The entire cuvee was matured in five, 225 litre barrels, all of which were five years old. The wine rested on its lees until it was bottled in September 2006. The final residual sugar level is 160gl/l. The entire production of Cuvee du 5 Novembre was bottled in 2000, 500ml bottles. It offers a magnificent balance of intense sweetness and notes of tropical fruit with great freshness derived from the fruity acidity of the Chenin Blanc grapes. It can be enjoyed now or aged to bring out the secondary flavors and aromas unique to Chenin Blanc

The different Products:

• Cuvée Antique
• Argilex de Gautier – 2003 demi-sec
• Clos la Lanterne – 2002 sec
• Clos la Lanterne – 2003 moelleux
• Cuvée du 17 Octobre – 2003 moelleux
• Cuvée du 23 Octobre – 2002 moelleux
• Méthode Traditionnelle – Brut et demi-sec 2004

Region : Loire

Address:
Domaine de la Chataigneraie

route de Montgouverne
Rochecorbon 37210