About
Méthode traditionnelle sparkling Chenin Blanc from Clos Saint Mathurin, a single walled hectare of 35-year-old vines on clay and limestone behind Vouvray's Première Côte. Primary fermentation runs 70% in stainless steel and 30% in used 400-litre barrels, then the wine matures on fine lees in bottle before being disgorged with zero dosage — nothing added, nothing hidden. Fine, crisp and beautifully composed: dried citrus and white pepper over a fresh mousse, with the intensity of proper Chenin underneath.
The clos sits inside Le Marigny, the Première Côte site above the village that Christophe Pichot bought in 1984. The fruit is picked by hand. Vines are planted tight, around 6600 to the hectare, and yields run low at about 25 hectolitres per hectare. The domaine is certified organic and HVE3 and is moving to biodynamics.
The family story starts in 1770, when the Dattee-Flock family bought the Coteau de la Biche vineyard. Gérard Pichot married into it in 1935, and his son Jean-Claude and grandson Christophe carried it on. A new winery followed in 1997, a year after the three properties came together. The house leans dry, which shows in a sparkling wine with no dosage at all.
Pour it as an aperitif, then keep it going through the meal. The Chenin intensity underneath carries it well past the first course.
Producer note
The Pichots are one of Vouvray's oldest wine families — restaurateurs since 1739, vineyard owners since 1770. Jean-Claude and Christophe Pichot unified the family's three properties under the Domaine Pichot name in 1996; the 28-hectare domaine farms mostly organically.
Structure
Grape
Picked on Stef's structure profile.
