Chablis Terroirs de Béru AOC 2023

Intense and balanced. The wine has volume and power while remaining taut. Maritime freshness and ripeness sit side by side, carried by oyster shell, salty sea breeze and mineral spice. In its youth it still shows a slight reduction.

Château de Béru lies in eastern Chablis, where the Renaissance estate rises above the vineyards. This cuvée comes from various parcels of the estate. What they share is their altitude, their northern position within the Chablis wine region, and a high proportion of Kimmeridgian limestone in the soil. The vines stand at 300 metres of altitude. The limestone formed around 150 million years ago from the sediments of an ancient sea, including fossilised oyster shells.

Chardonnay, mostly from the early pickings destined for the estate's single-vineyard wines. After hand-harvesting, the grapes were gently pressed and fermented spontaneously. Ageing took place in tanks and large wooden foudres, maturing on fine lees. Winemaker Gaëlle Ribé bottled the Chablis unfiltered and unfined, with a minimal sulphur addition of 0.5 mg/l.

Fresh and ripe at once, with a pull from citrus fruit through ripe stone fruit to ginger and mineral spice. The creamy, yeasty texture lends fullness to the taut structure. Dry, 13.5% ABV.

Athénais de Béru runs the estate biodynamically; the soils are worked with horses instead of heavy machinery, and the estate produces its own preparations. The label carries the Demeter logo.