M. Chapoutier Cote-Rotie Neve 2018

The vinification takes place in rough concrete tanks. The harvested grapes are completely de-stemmed. Native yeasts are used for alcoholic fermentation. During the fermentation, the temperature is allowed to rise to 30-32C gradually. The vatting period lasts 4 to 5 weeks, with regular pumping over operations carried out at the start of the maceration, followed by some cap punching. The maceration is completed by stirring the lees over the last 3 weeks. By tasting the wine in the tank daily, we can tailor our different operations to the wine and determine the best running-off date. The wines go into the barrel “hot” after their running-off and 24-48 hours of sedimentation to eliminate any remaining solid matter and the coarsest lees. Ageing is carried out entirely in 228-litre barrels (pieces bourguignonnes), of which 25-30% are new. The wine is racked at the end of the winter. Ageing can last 14-18 months, depending on the vintage and our tastings of the wine.