You get a really old school style of Pinot experience here. A daintiness and freshness, with just a little hint of sous bois under orange, potpourri fruit. The Grande Reserve vineyard is located on the western side of Chablis, toward Auxerre, an area of vineyards that were famous in the 19th century, forgotten and now been re-planted. The chalky slopes are very similar to the famous Montee de Tonnerre.

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That Mauperthuis farms organically wasone of the main reasons we took an interest in the domaine in the first place. In a rarefied place like Burgundy, it really helps to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.Soils that are chemically sprayed to get rid of weeds and pests tend to kill the microbial life in the soils. Then you have to pump chemical fertiliser in to counter the damage and end up with artificially high yields. The only people winning are the chemical manufacturers.With organic farming there are no short cuts. You have to look after your vines very carefully and work hard tokeep them healthy in order to get a decent crop. Organic farming keeps yields low – which means better concentration and of course better wines. Healthier soils also allow the terroir to shine. Ask any Burgundy winemaker worth their salt and they’ll confirm this. So yes, organic is the only way.