Domaine Benoit Chauveau
The Chauveau family have been making wine for several generations, and Benoit Chauveau gradually took over the vineyards of his grandparents and parents in the mid 1990s. Today, their property comprises about fifteen hectares (37.5 acres) of Pouilly Fumé, Pouilly sur Loire and Coteaux du Giennois on various types of soil (kimmeridgian marl, siliceous-clay and Villiers limestone).
Their approach is to continually strive to improve the quality of their wines through the development of sustainable methods, using a strict minimum of products to treat the vines against the disease. From December to March they prune the vines by hand using the “Guyot simple” pruning method. Between April and June, they then perform de-budding to remove any unwanted growth that might produce an excess of grapes. The month of June is spent lifting up the growth on each side of the row and attaching it on metal wires.
The grapes are usually gathered at the end of September with the help of a harvesting machine. Besides the manual labor during the growth cycle, various tasks are carried out mechanically: plowing, topping and trimming, and phytosanitary protection against disease.
Immediately after harvesting, the grapes are pressed using a pneumatic press to obtain the highest quality juice. The juice then settles for 48 hours, then they rack it off to obtain a clarified must. After this procedure, alcoholic fermentation begins, lasting from ten days to three weeks at a controlled temperature of 18-19°C in the thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks. This low temperature fermentation helps conserve the aromas in the wine.
Three months after the end of fermentation, they rack off to separate the clear wine from the lees. Then the wines are blended according to their characteristics to produce the various finished wines on offer. The first bottling is generally carried out in February.