Yesterday we had the pleasure of hosting Mathieu Lapierre of Domaine Marcel Lapierre, Morgon, and Jean Fontanet of Domaine de la Cadette, Vezelay. We enjoyed a very fun and informative luncheon around their wines. We'll be posting more about Mathieu and his wines in a future post...for today let's focus on one of Jean and his wines.In 1987, Jean and Catherine Montanet the Domaine de la Cadette. Cadette, or the youngest child, is a nod to Catherine, whose family’s vineyards contribute to the domaine’s production. It took them ten years to clear land and replant vineyards. By 1997, the I.N.A.O. had awarded Vézelay its own appellation status; a decision that lends more credibility to the noble work of the Montanets. Jean and Catherine farm eighteen hectares of vineyards today, and have been farming organically since 1999, receiving their certification in 2002. This is a particularly bold decision in an area where most wine is sold in bulk.
The vineyard land sits deep in the Morvan, the great mountain range that runs west by northwest of the famous Côte d’Or. The land here is quite exceptional. The creation of the granite massif of the Morvan has uplifted a marl and limestone strata, revealing fossilized marine deposits. Though Vézelay is a geographic appendage of Chablis, the soils are not exactly the same. The climate here is cooler, too. Instead of the Kimmerdigian soils, the clays here range from blue and gray to red, sometimes with no clay at all but just shallow limestone. In this cooler climate, their vines enjoy great sun exposure, lending a balance between generous fruit and deep mineral structure. That the wines from Vézelay have gone largely unnoticed until recently may certainly be attributed to an underwhelming production of forgettable wines, however Domaine de la Cadette stands proudly as a beacon of change, representing the most sincere expression of their terroirs with grace and integrity.
It would be easy to place Montanet's Bourgogne Vezelay "La Chatelaine" in a Chablis tasting and not have it picked out as the interloper. The wine bursts forth with notes of lemon, chalk, saline and a decidedly savory note. This wine exhibits a richness and depth of texture that belies the fact that it was fermented completely in stainless steel. This is Chardonnay at its best...rich yet racy, and not whacked with a lot of oak. While drinking very well now, it's certainly going to get better over the next few years, and drink well for another seven to 10 years.
Like all of Jean's wines, the Bourgogne Vezelay "La Chatelaine" is consistently praised by critics as a Burgundy that represents an excellent value. This wine over-delivers on everything, and is an absolute joy to drink.
2009 Bourgogne Vezelay "La Chatelaine" - Item # 51955 - 17 cases remain.
2008 Bourgogne Vezelay "La Chatelaine" - Item # 51954 - 5 cases remain.
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