Réserve du Champ des Nummus
AOP Limoux
Here lies a lovely Chardonnay vineyard whose grapes arevinified by the locally home grown Mathilde Fort.
Mathilde studied oenology in Dijon and she brings with her the sort of sensitivity and expertise required to make great Chardonnays. Her osmosis with this 400 metre high vineyard was instantaneous: Mathilde has been making wine here for the last four years. She keeps an eye on our selection of plots the Champ des Nummus matured in the traditional way, two years in French oak barrels.
A fabulous story which marries Roman origins to the most advanced oenological techniques, not forgetting a perfect feminine touch.
- Chardonnay
11°C
The ‘High Valley of the Aude’. A block of 12 hectares of Chardonnay planted in 1972, lying at an altitude of 400-450 meters and facing S/S-E. The sub-soil is limestone clay, and the gravelly top-soil is black, and rich in shale and pebbles. These Chardonnay vines face the Pyrenees. The combined effect of the soil, full exposure to the sun and wind, and the altitude create an exceptional micro-climate favoring a slow and lengthy ripening process.
Hand-harvested.
The grapes are tipped delicately into the press. Pressing is slow-paced, and the juice is encouraged to settle by the use of low temperatures. Once clarified the juice is gravity-pulled into barrels. 20%of the barrels are new and 80% are one or two vintages old. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations take place in barrels, and the maturing of the wine on fine lees is punctuated by regular batonnage up until the month of June following the harvest. The Limoux Appellation has the most restrictive conditions of production of all the French wine Appellations. Harvesting by hand, vinifying and maturing in wood are all compulsory. The wines may only be put on the market after the month of May which follows harvest, i.e. after a minimum of 8 months.
To serve before the meal with foie gras canapés, or even on its own, this wine will also embellish delicate fish and shell-fish dishes. Equally recommended with cream-based poultry dishes, and goats’ cheese.
A complex, mineral nose with which are mingled hints of ripe fruit, flowers and spices. Full and lingering on the palate, firm, rich, and of great elegance. The silky finish reveals a nice freshness, but also a laying-down potential of at least 5 years.
