Clément Lavallée 2024 'Grand Roche' Blanc de Cotes d'Auxerre Bourgogne

750ml bottle
12.3% abv

Dry, fresh, and concentrated, with citrus, green apple, and a chalky mineral character.

100% Chardonnay. Côtes d'Auxerre, Yonne, northern Burgundy. Clay-limestone soils. Organically farmed.

Ambient yeast fermentation. Aged in used barrels with lees contact. Lightly fined with bentonite, SO2 added at bottling only. Unfiltered.

The Grand Roche name references Clément Lavallée's father's original estate, Domaine Grand Roche in Saint-Bris-le-Vineux. This cuvée draws on purchased fruit from Côtes d'Auxerre rather than owned parcels.

After nearly a decade working at wineries around the world - including Chapoutier, Armand Heitz, and Chateau Margaux - Clément Lavallée returned home to the northern reaches of Burgundy in 2018. Fast forward to present, and he’s producing nearly a dozen different wines from organic vineyards in and around Chablis. This white wine is the flagship. It’s salty, focused, and richly textured, highlighting why Clément has become one of the fastest rising stars in Chablis.

Clément Lavallée works organically and therefore uses no chemicals or insecticides in the vineyard. Only native yeast and no sulfur are used during the vinification process. The must moves Lavallée by gravity and not by pumping. Lavallée has small plots. In total it is about five hectares. He is part of a new generation of winemakers who are exploring the enormous (biological) potential that still lies undiscovered in Burgundy.