Le Grand Clos Chardonnay - Library Release
La Grand Famille Club Exclusive

Last of the Vintage
1 In Stock
Wine Profile
Winemaker Notes
From the warm, riper, but ultimately still cool-climate vintage of 2018, Le Grand Clos Chardonnay is a rich and seamless barrel-fermented Chardonnay. Remembering to taste this 'Grand Vin' just a little warmer than one might with other white varietals, one sees the complexity of the Chardonnay grape at its best through the terroir of the dolomitic limestone soils it is grown upon. A clutch of classic stone fruit is underlaid by subtle, high-toned, racy, elegant tones of more exotic fruit such as melons and papayas that underline the intensity of the Summer the fruit was grown. Seamless lacy lanolin tones, with the barrel ferment barely visible through the intoxicating spiciness of the nose. Perhaps also a whiff of white floral mintyness. Full in the mouth with beeswax and creamy lightly-truffled lanolin overtones, with no obvious wood contribution, the tightrope walk of rich, bracing acidity and minerality of this wine baffles the senses. It expresses the tight minerality of the Grand Clos Block in an entirely different, fascinating way. With greater vine age, we sense even greater delicacy, and yet, confoundingly, a greater weight that will certainly grow up around the wine in bottle.
The 2018 vintage showcases the consistent quality this Grand Cru tier wine is renowned for. Le Grand Clos Chardonnay explodes from the glass with ripe orchard and tropical fruits, creamy pineapple dessert, baked apple, sweet yet subtle vanilla bean notes and fresh limestone minerality. The palate showcases the winemaking mastery highlighting the wine’s terroir thanks to a very deliberate, albeit complex, oak program that showcases the full bodied and creamy yet incredibly refreshing style Bachelder has crafted in this gorgeous Chardonnay.
Benefitting from 22 months of élévage in French oak, from various forests throughout Northeast France, with only 20% new, this special attention to his unique oak program is key to Bachelder crafting this ultra premium Chardonnay, highlight the excellence achievable with his Niagara fruit. One taste of this fine wine showcases how rich, complex, and unique it is. A great example of what exceptional terroir and skilled winemaking can achieve when they overlap. An outstanding expression of Niagara Chardonnay that I’d recommend enjoying over the next decade and beyond. A terrific wine to begin a vertical with in anticipation of other great vintages of Le Grand Clos to come. Tasted November 2020. 94 points. Matt Steeves – www.quercusvino.ca