Solera VDF Chardonnay Domaine de Bellevue NV

Solera VDF Chardonnay Bellevue NV Organic wine, fermented in a clay egg, aged in Solera system of oak barrels, rich and lovingly textured wine in the Jura style! Solera is Jerome’s first attempt at capturing the beguiling beauty of Chardonnay from the Jura but made from his own fruit in the Muscadet region. It is a blend of 4 vintages, aged slightly oxidatively for 60 months in a solera system of barrels (traditionally used for sherry). It is rich, salty, taught and absolutely stunning to drink. He made a few bottles and we have very few of those few. A rare treat this white wine and yet another indication that Jerome Bretaudeau is building a reputation as one of the most accomplished wine makers in France.

Jérôme Bretaudeau's story is one of passion for wine and only wine.

He set up the 9 hectare Domaine in 2005 after working for over 15 years at other estates and converted to organic production in 2009. The soils at Domaine de Bellevue are what give it the capability to make hand crafted terroir wines which truly vary from soil to soil. They are are made up pockets of clay interspersed with silica pebbles, white and pink quartz and also some volcanic rocks allowing strong minerality and complexity for the wines. The vines are old and various with unusual grape varieties for the Muscadet area (Chardonnay, Gamay, Merlot, Pinot Gris and others). He uses a combination of large clay eggs and used barrels to ferment and mature his wines. Internships with Jo Landon and Guy Bossard (two giants of the area) gave him the taste for natural wine making and thus since 2009 he has been certified organic. The wines are elegant, precise characterful.