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At twenty-one years old, Romain Collet took over the family domaine and converted many of their vineyards to organic viticulture (with some biodynamics experiments) and incorporated natural yeast fermentations. Collet’s range highlights the differences of each of their premier crus and grand crus with a cellar vinification and aging tailored to the uniqueness of each site and lean toward a more richer Côte d'Or style than the trimmer quality of the Loire Valley whites. The soils is composed of Kimmeridgian limestone marl bedrock with rocky topsoil composed of Portlandian limestone scree, bedrock-derived marlstones, varying levels of marne (calcium carbonate-rich clay) and loam. The entry-level wines, Saint-Bris, Petit Chablis, Chablis, and 1er Cru Montmains are aged in steel while the others are aged in variations of French oak vessels (225l-80hl), with no new oak barrels used with any of the wines imported by The Source.
At twenty-one years old, Romain Collet took over the family domaine and converted many of their vineyards to organic viticulture (with some biodynamics experiments) and incorporated natural yeast fermentations. Collet’s range highlights the differences of each of their premier crus and grand crus with a cellar vinification and aging tailored to the uniqueness of each site and lean toward a more richer Côte d'Or style than the trimmer quality of the Loire Valley whites. The soils is composed of Kimmeridgian limestone marl bedrock with rocky topsoil composed of Portlandian limestone scree, bedrock-derived marlstones, varying levels of marne (calcium carbonate-rich clay) and loam. The entry-level wines, Saint-Bris, Petit Chablis, Chablis, and 1er Cru Montmains are aged in steel while the others are aged in variations of French oak vessels (225l-80hl), with no new oak barrels used with any of the wines imported by The Source.
VINEYARD DETAILS
Located on the Saône right bank, Montée de Tonnerre comes from 2.29ha plot (organic conversion in 2022) primarily in the lieu-dit Chapelot planted in 1983 facing west/southwest on a medium slope at 170-190m. The bedrock is Kimmeridgian limestone marl with a rocky, deep greyish/white marne topsoil (calcium-rich clay from decomposed limestone).
CELLAR NOTES
Natural fermentation and aging for 11 months in 2-3-year-old 228L French oak, followed by 5 months in steel. First sulfites added to must, full malolactic, and light fining and filtration.
Google 3-D Image of Montée de Tonnerre: Directly ahead in the image is this 1er Cru vineyard area, the flat at the base of the hill before it starts to really tilt upward is village wine, not 1er Cru. To the left is the Grand Cru hill and to the right, Mont de Milieu. Also, here is a downloadable pdf on Premier and Grand Cru Chablis. It’s thorough, but it’s in French. The geological and vineyard maps are key. Another great resource for specific vineyard information is here and be sure to click on the vineyard names for more information about them.
