Lot presentation

Chablis Grand Cru Moutonne Long Depaquit - Albert Bichot (Domaine) 2010

The wine

The Moutonne vineyard (2.35 ha) enjoys a unique status. It straddles two grand crus, Vaudésir (95%) and Preuses (5%). It derives its unity from its location inside a geographical "bowl". Moutonne is not an officially recorded lieu-dit, and its name does not appear on the government's grand crus decree of 1938. It was not until 1951 that the INAO formally acknowledged its current status as a grand cru monopole! The shape of the plot and its ideal south-south-easterly location make it a natural sun trap. Harvesting is entirely manual, and carried out only when all the different factors – the grapes' sugar maturity, acid balance and aromatic character – are in optimal alignment. During vinification, neutrality is the watchword: to avoid introducing or encouraging any bias which could detract from the pure expression of this particular terroir. The domaine combines the use of recent barrels (one or two previous wines) and a very small proportion of older barrels (up to five wines).

About the Producer Long Depaquit - Albert Bichot

The origin of the Long-Depaquit domaine goes back to the history of the Abbey of Pontigny, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1114 by monks of Citeaux a few kilometres northwest of Chablis. A few years later, in 1128, the Cistercian monks had already developed their own domaine at Chablis. During the Revolution in 1789, Jean Depaquit, a priest of Pontigny, left the orders and returned to civil life. During the sale of national property, he bought the vineyards of the Abbey, including the famous vineyard of La Moutonne. His son, Benjamin, who had no children, adopted a certain François-Auguste Long, which would lead to the creation of the Long-Depaquit family, owner of the eponymous domaine. The château, built in 1791, is one of the most beautiful buildings of Chablis. Redeemed by the Beaunoise house Albert Bichot in 1970, this magnificent Chablis domaine developed and now covers 65 hectares. It still has its own teams and cellar. The maison Bichot also houses the Clos Frantin (Vosne-Romanée), Château-Gris at Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pavillon (Pommard), Adélie (Mercurey) and Rochegrès at Moulin-à-Vent.

Detailed characteristics