Vis Tchapias - Les Garennes 2022

Full bottle 1,401 g. Winemaker Patrick Carmans explains this unusual wine: ‘The vineyard is located in Belgium, Hélécine, in the lieu-dit called “vîs tchapias”. It’s 40 ares vineyard planted in 2013. Initially we planted only Pinot Noir clone 777 but due to irregular growth we had to replace 30% of the Pinot Noir vines by Chardonnay and a little Pinot Gris ... we decided to make a “vin parcellaire” from it, rather blanc de noir oriented as the main grape variety is Pinot Noir. The winemaking itself is pretty peculiar as we harvest the grapes based on the variety and according to their maturity, this means that the Pinot Gris is harvested first, a couple weeks later the Pinot Noir and lastly the Chardonnay is harvested. Once the grapes are harvested, we put them through the destemmer and press them immediately. The Pinot Gris comes in the tanks first and starts natural fermentation on its lees, it serves as the pied de cuve for the incoming Pinot Noir 2 weeks later, which induces a spontaneous ... fermentation of the Pinot Noir and a little later the same applies for the incoming Chardonnay ... Natural fermentation goes on until mid December on the lees.’ It is then aged without the lees in stainless steel. Bottled after 12 months with 18 mg/l sulphites. Unfiltered, unfined. Pale orangey gold – looks more like a rosé than a white or a blanc de noirs. Smells initially like a white fermented on the skins though this doesn’t appear to be the case. A slightly sour-fresh note that brings dried grasses and chamomile and well as a touch of clementine and red fruits. There’s definite tannins here, combined with a cool freshness and delicate fruit notes blending zesty red fruits and clementine. But the dominant effect here is the nicely firm texture, creating a dry, food-friendly white-cum-orange wine. This got better and better with every day after opening, with my final tasting four days after opening, when I found out how it was made. So it may be worth decanting if you are going to drink it immediately. Complex, refreshingly juicy and delicious with many layers. A wine to spend time with. Imagine being given this in a blind tasting! Still so vibrant and youthful.