Background: Domaine de la Meulière is a 24 hectare estate in the small village of Fleys, 4km from Chablis. The Laroche family have been producing Chablis since 1780. Vincent and Nicolas Laroche are the eighth and ninth generation of winemakers and have introduced new winemaking techniques and a more moderated approach in the vineyard. Chablis is renown for its Kimmeridgian clay-limestone hillsides which, when paired with sloping southerly exposures and exceptional sunlight hours, produce wines of great complexity and longevity.
Winemaking: The grapes are hand-harvested to ensure that only the highest quality bunches are used. Upon arrival at the winery, the whole bunches are gently pressed in a pneumatic press before the must is cold-settled for 24 hours. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations take place in temperature- controlled stainless steel tanks. The resulting wine undergoes natural tartaric stabilisation, bentonite fining and tangential filtration.
Sustainability: The domaine uses natural control mechanisms to reduce the yields and organic fertiliser made according to petiole analysis. In the winery they utilise the traditional methods used at the end of the 19th century combined with new equipment and new disciplines to showcase the character and terroir of the wine. Their commitment to working with the environment to create a sustainable future has gained them HVE Level 3 certification.