LA CORVÉE 

The Ladoix 1^er Cru La Corvée is located in Ladoix-Serrigny and has a southeastern mid-slope exposure. The term La Corvée refers to the medieval politico-economic system which lasted until 4 August, 1789. This term refers to the unpaid work imposed by a lord or master on his dependents; it was a form a non-monetary tax. Under this feudal system, serfs and people that were free but too poor were liable to the corvée, i.e. they were indentured servants.

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VINIFICATION

In the winery, hands are busy at work around the sorting table, removing any grapes affected by potential foes of the vine such as botrytis cinerea fungus, downy mildew, powdery mildew, hail, or scalding etc. De-stemmed grapes and whole clusters are stacked in temperature-controlled stainless steel vat. We don’t like to interfere too much in the wine-cellar; we prefer nature to take its course and produce its own vintage. It is a time where we need our senses to be fully alert: we listen, observe, feel, touch and taste this organic matter during its transformation. After about a week of maceration, the fermentation process begins. At the beginning, we prefer to do “punching of the cap” to gently extract the liquids, and at the end of fermentation; we perform pumping over to adjust the tannin structure of the wine. The wine is then drawn off and some of the pressed grapes are added to this juice. Once assembled, the cuvée is placed in French oak barrels.

AGEING

During the ageing, which refers to the progression of wine between fermentation and bottling, the wine is allowed to rest so it can undergo processes of fining, stretching and harmonisation. This long storage period in oak casks bestows the wine with a greater degree of complexity and depth in terms of its structure. We take great care in the choice of our casks, we use wood from the forests of Allier, Vosges and Tronçais. This Ladoix 1er Cru La Corvée, is designed to be kept for many years, it is aged 15 months in 50% new wood casks (228L Burgundian tuns).