Pernand Premier Cru "Sous Frétille"
Our new white Premier Cru, named "Sous Frétille", comes from a parcel situated right below the virgin "Notre Dame de Bonnes Espérance" overlooking Pernand.
The name Pernand possibly stems from the Gallic nanto, "stream, valley", preceded either by the Latin base petra, "stone", or the Gallic petru, "four". Pernand can then be either the village of the four valleys, the village located at the crossroads or at a distance of four "bornes" (6 km) from Beaune.
Frétille is the hill, measuring 385 m, where our beautiful village nestles. The name comes from the Frankisk first "ridge", of which the medieval form freste has given the derivative frétille.
The vines grow some fifty meters further up than the Clos du Village and we find the same exposure towards the south. However the slope is steeper and the soil poorer: 40 cm of top-layer soil, then white marl and limestone. Here the Chardonnay develops a finesse, an elegance, without loosing it's incomparable touch of mineral.
White wine vinification : we bring in the grapes in small crates to keep them intact. The pressing is carried out with a pneumatic press which is less damaging to the grapes. The whole grapes are placed in the press and the pressing lasts for two hours. After 24 hours settling at low temperatures, the grape juice is transferred into barrels to ferment, the proportion of new barrels being 30 %. Ageing on lees with stirring lasts until July and the wine is bottled after 12 months of ageing.
The Premier Cru "sous Frétille" is a wine to be kept, it's power will only be tamed after two years. However if you are patient enough to keep this wine in the cellar for five to seven years, you will find aromas of toasted almonds and notes of gun-flint. It goes well with stewed langoustines, fish in papillotes, white meat and well-matured, strong-smelling cheeses (munster, comté fruité...)
