Clement Lavallee Saint-Bris Les Copains d'Abord 2020
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Parker
Robert
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Saint-Bris is the only Burgundy appellation that allows the cultivation of Sauvignon Blanc. Harvested from a sustainable, 30-35-year-old, one-hectare plateau vineyard planted on clay-silt soil and with a western exposure. After pneumatic pressing, must and gravity settling, and gentle racking at low temperature, the wine goes through alcoholic and natural malolactic fermentation in neutral oak. The wine is then matured for 11 months on fine lees in 228 and 350 L oak barrels. Bottled with light bentonite fining and unfiltered.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Lavallée is so selective at the press when producing this cuvée, that to make the 2020 Saint-Bris Les Copains d'Abord, he only retained 40% of the juice, selling the rest off in bulk. The resulting wine is persuasive, mingling notions of gooseberry and crisp green apple with notions of freshly baked bread and lemon oil, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny palate built around a racy spine of acidity.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
A tiny, solitary white producing appellation west of Chablis but east of the Loire, St. Bris is a bit of a peculiarity as it is technically part of Burgundy but produces non-Burgundian grapes. St-Bris produces highly aromatic whites with qualities of grapefruit, mandarin, peach, lychee, salinity and spice from both Sauvignons: Gris and Blanc. St-Bris wine is wonderful with shellfish, goat cheese and spicy curries.