La Porte Saint Jean La Perlee VDF (Chenin Blanc) 2015 (750ml)

The Perlée cuvée comes from old Chenin vines aged around 24 months in barrels! The nose releases aromas of citrus fruits, quince, white flowers and also fresh almonds. The mouth is tense, fine but with body, fat and a saline finish! Gorgeous!

Dittière (the winemaker) destems his reds at harvest and does a 6-week maceration before racking into barrel for malolactic. His vinification is a “grapes-only” process—that is, no added yeasts, enzymes, sulfur or any additive other than the fruit itself. And he performs neither punch-downs nor pump-overs, letting the juice quietly infuse as it ferments. The cellar at La Porte Saint Jean is a hidden marvel. Above ground, it’s a modest country home. Below, it’s a subterranean series of galleries carved out of the mother rock, dating back to the 13th Century. What’s more: it maintains the ideal temperature year-round. There, even his whites undergo extended aging in used barriques and 500-liter casks.