Alice et Olivier De Moor "Mont de Milieu" 1er Cru, Burgundy, France 2023

FROM LOUIS/DRESSNER:

THE WINE: 100% Chardonnay. From a 0.82-hectare parcel in the Mont du Milieu vineyard (its name references it being a hill on the border of Chablis and Champagne). The parcel is south-facing and steep enough that it has to be worked with a horse rather than a tractor; the mid-section dates to the 1980s and the higher part of the hill to the 1930's. The de Moors farm it organically and harvest it by hand. The fruit is destemmed, gently pressed and fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. The wine goes through malo and is aged on its lees without bâtonnage or racking, first in amphora and small oak barrels for a year and then a year in foudre. Bottling is without Bottling is without filtration and with a touch of sulfur.

THE PRODUCER: Alice and Olivier De Moor live and work in Courgis, a small village 7km southwest of Chablis. It is where Olivier grew up, and his “old” cellar, the part where he ages his Chablis in oak barrels, is underneath his grandparents' house. From the hill where Courgis sits, the view is of vineyards over hills all the way to the Chablis. Alice is from the Jura, and the two met at a large where Olivier was in charge of the vineyards. Both are Chablis estate enologists, graduates of the school, with enough knowledge to take a radically different direction for their vines and wines than their neighbors.

The De Moors have worked their vines organically since 2005, a rarity in their area. In 2002, they stopped using large harvest bins and replaced them with small boxes where the grapes are not crushed by their own weight. In 2007, they built a large and high-ceilinged winery, allowing them to do all their cellarwork by gravity. In 2008, they purchased a second-hand pneumatic pressto treat the grapes in the gentlest way possible. There is no SO2 use at harvest or during the winemaking.

NOTE: This bottle is allocated and therefore stock is limited. Discounts do not apply to this product.