First Saint-Émilion Chardonnay releaesd

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 30 November, 2020

The first official vintage of Chardonnay wines produced in Saint-Émilion has been released.

But instead of being made available in retail, every vintage of the Elena cuvée from Chateau La Grace Dieu des Prieurs will be auctioned for charity.

The money raised from the 2019 vintage will go to a range of charitable foundations that support children with serious illnesses.

Chateau La Grace Dieu des Prieurs has one hectare of Chardonnay vines. Most of these were planted in 2016 and a quarter of them are young Chardonnay vines grafted on old Merlot roots.

The cuvée is aged for 12 months in new oak barrels from the Radoux cooperage.

Laurent Prosperi, the château’s director, describes the cuvée as “a refined, exquisite, gourmet white wine with intense aromatic notes and a rich structure on the palate”.

The first wine was produced in 2018 and samples given to a select group of professionals for tasting. News of the estate’s initiative was announced in 2019.

This Elena cuvée will only be available in magnums, with each bottle hand-crafted from transparent and frosted glass at the Waltersperger glassworks and decorated with individual hand-painted floral designs.

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