2016 : Three bottlings rather than one

The ageing of white wines at Ropiteau Frères is not set in stone. Rather, it is adapted to the vintage in question (see n°38 winter 2016/2017), as illustrated by the 2016 vintage, which was bottled in three phases. The choice is dictated by tastings carried out on the wines as they are aged.

No two vintages are ever alike, and the same applies at Ropiteau Frères.

The winemaker frequently tastes the wine to decide when to bottle it, to ensure the final structure, complexity, and finesse. They are aged in oak without stirring, for the time it needs for the wines to mature naturally. The idea is to allow them to evolve at their own pace.

The first batch was bottled in July, in order to preserve all the freshness of the Chardonnay grape from a selection of the Village appellations.

The second phase was in November 2017, for some of the premier crus from Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, and Meursault, and for the Corton-Charlemagne. These intense and complex wines required 14 months before bottling.

A third batch was bottled after two months in stainless-steel vats to hone the wines and allow them to achieve greater complexity. This involved the Meursault premier crus; the Meursault de Ropiteau cuvée, a blend of several plots; the Saint-Aubin premier cru Gamay, and the Auxey-Duresses, and took place in January 2018.