2015 Domaine Ponsot Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru 750ml

Harvest Notes      

The grapes are carefully hand-picked into wicker baskets and then transferred to small crates, each weighing no more than 17 kilos. This ensures the grapes are not compacted and remain intact for pressing. If sorting is needed, it is done manually in the vineyard before harvest. If further sorting is required, it is performed by the pickers, basket emptiers, and, if necessary, additional sorters. This process can be particularly stringent if the harvest has been damaged. Sorting at the cellar cannot match the precision of vineyard sorting because, during transport, the mycelium of rot can mix with healthy grapes, leaving traces of grey, bacteria-laden powder even after careful sorting. 

Winemaking

We typically rack the wine once, ideally long after the second fermentation is complete, and sometimes we bottle without racking, as in 2003. Racking and bottling are always done during a waning moon and under high atmospheric pressure. Our wines are neither fined nor filtered, and we use minimal sulfur. We apply SO2 as an antiseptic when the grapes are crushed and vatted, and it almost completely dissipates during alcoholic fermentation. To minimize sulfur use, we avoid exposing the wine to oxygen by frequently topping off our barrels. During racking and bottling, the wine is never in contact with air, as we use nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or a blend of both neutral gases.