DOMAINE VENTOURA
Chablis, France
Domaine Ventoura is based in Fontenay, just northwest of Chablis. Three generations of the Ventoura family have grown Chardonnay here, beginning in 1953 with Auguste and a few vines. His son Claude expanded the estate to its current size of eleven hectares, comprising Petit Chablis, Chablis and a single 1er cru, Fourchaume. Auguste’s grandson Thomas joined the domaine in 2009, and four years later began to bottle and sell the wines himself, rather than sending them to the co-op.
Since then his focus on quality has started to make waves. Like any serious grower, he spends all his time in the vineyards. His methods are mostly organic, with the minimum of treatments, using a mixture of wood and stainless steel, depending on the style of the vintage and quality of grapes.
Loire Valley, France
Region & Vineyard Notes
The Chablis wine region has much in common with Champagne province, when it comes to climate. It has a semi-continental climate without maritime influence. The peak summer growing season can be hot; and wintertime can be long, cold and harsh, with frosty conditions lasting to early May.
The region's oldest soil dates back to the Upper Jurassic age, over 180 million years ago and includes a vineyard soil type that is calcareous, and known as Kimmeridge Clay. All of the Chablis Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards are planted on this primarily Kimmeridgean soil, which imparts a distinctively mineral, flinty note to the wines. Other areas, particularly most of the Petit Chablis vineyards, are planted on slightly younger Portlandian soil, still of similar structure. The chalk landscape resembles some areas of Champagne and Sancerre.