2020 Clos des Lunes Lune d'Or

The 2020 Lune d'Or is one of the best vintages of this Sémillon-dominant bottling that Bernard and his team have produced to date. Relaxing in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, nectarine, pastry cream and a deft touch of youthful reduction, it is medium-bodied, lively and beautifully concentrated, with a tightly wound core, zesty acidity and a salty finish. The missing ingredient, as is almost always the case with Sémillon, is time, which will allow this wine to develop significantly more texture and dimension, but the premise is already impressive.

GOOD FACT: This is a wine from an exceptional terroir and its neighbors are Château Yquem, Château d'Arche and Château Guiraud

In 2011, Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier launched his Clos des Lunes project in Sauternes, working with about 60 hectares of vineyards spread over five different communes, but mainly Sauternes itself, Bommes and Barsac. The fruit is harvested by hand, plot by plot, sometimes in multiple "attempts" to select only the ripe bunches; pressing is a whole lot; and the vinification takes place in barrels of 50 hectoliters and, for the best fruit, in barrels. A selection of the finest casks is then isolated to be bottled separately under the Lune d'Or label. These wines contain about 70% Sémillon, and while this variety is indisputably the best white varietal from Bordeaux, it also poses a problem because Sémillon takes time to show its cards, add texture and develop an aromatic range, only with some age in bottle. This terroir of Clos des Lunes is a beautiful hilly vineyard planted with old Sémillons and Sauvignon Blancs. The area is 33 hectares where there are 70% Sémillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc. There the average age of the vineyard is 30 years. The vines come from two terroirs that are complementary: the Sauternes terroir, which consists of deep gravel with underground sources that give strength to the wine, and the Bommes terroir, which consists of gravelly soils on a subsoil of clay and limestone, which enhances the freshness of the wine. entails.

The grapes are hand-picked at perfect ripeness and selected to produce the Clos des Lunes - Lune d'Or whose production is close to 5,000 bottles. A slow pneumatic pressing without de-stalking and without maceration, carried out by two presses from Domaine de Chevalier, allows an adapted order. Settling occurs naturally by gravity, in a cold room. All the techniques used at Clos des Lunes come from the Domaine de Chevalier, giving new vintages an improved quality based on experience. The maturation takes place in barrels for 12 to 15 months.

FACT: In the Tab: Appendix you will find the official fact sheet of this fine wine. We will automatically send it to you when you order this wine and if you come to pick it up in our beautiful conditioned Wine Warehouse, you will also receive a nice pick-up discount