2023 Jean-Claude Rateau Hautes-Côtes-de-Beaune Blanc

WINEMAKER: Jean-Claude Rateau
REGION: Burgundy, FR
VARIETY: Chardonnay
VITICULTURE: Certified Organic/Biodynamic

In the late 1970s, Jean-Claude inherited a small holding of vineyards in and around the village of Beaune. He immediately started with biodynamic techniques, having already become a believer in those principles in his personal and gardening life. This most likely makes Jean-Claude’s vineyards the first to have been grown under biodynamic principles in the whole of Burgundy. Jean-Claude’s wines are ultra-pure, soft and peaceful pathways to a fresh fruit core. This is thanks to those obvious factors we come to realise in great wine.

The vineyard work is unquestionable – profoundly deep knowledge in healthy vineyard ecosystems, biodiversity, soil health, plants, etc. Everything is done by hand, with calm reflection. Tn the cellar, it is much the same - nature does most of the work now that he has harvested highly vital healthy grapes with abundant microbial life. Vinification occurs underground in a cool cellar, whites are whole bunch pressed, reds are mostly de-stemmed (by hand), long slow fermentations occur in enamel tanks, followed by gentle ageing in only old oak.