Bottling tradition Domaine Laroche Winery

Domaine Laroche, a fine producer of Chablis in southern France, offers a unique approach to winemaking, including its dedicated team of winemakers.

An all-embracing philosophy

Domaine Laroche is devoted to large-scale sustainability, an ambitious approach requiring an environmentally holistic ideal of viticulture.

This vineyard’s gentle philosophy displays the deepest possible respect for the intertwined relationship between vine, soil, climate, and environment. Each of the winemakers carefully observe whether their plants are well-balanced. A vine which is ideally situated and cared for requires significantly less treatment, as these plants can naturally fight off pests and diseases.

Domaine Laroche’s strict specifications for their wines rely on several simple principles – no weedkillers, no pesticides, and no anti-botrytis treatments. Everything used during growing and harvesting must help the vines flourish, rather than disturbing the natural ripening process. While harsh chemical treatments have been rejected for their impact on the vines, Domaine Laroche has developed natural alternatives that don’t harm the plants or affect the wines. Having experimented extensively with natural treatments based on nettle and valerian, the winemakers use these to great effect.

It’s not just the elimination of chemical pesticides that defines Domaine Laroche’s unique approach to viticulture. Every aspect of the growing environment, no matter how small, has been carefully considered. For this dedicated team of passionate winemakers, considering the environment solely in terms of viticulture makes little sense. Instead, a holistic approach is taken. Every part of the winery is structured according to the same principles – notably minimal treatments, reduced energy consumption, and the use of rainfall for irrigation. Fostering such a close relationship with the environment requires skilled winemakers with a deep sensitivity to their surroundings. Connected to this philosophy is the longstanding tradition of apprenticeships at the winery, a system which sustains the winemakers’ venerable traditions within each successive generation.

Savouring a millennium of history

If they could speak, the walls of the Obédiencerie in Domaine Laroche would tell the wonderful story of Chablis wines. Over centuries, those working at the Obédiencerie have built up a strong reputation for these wines, thanks to their exceptional vineyards and unrivalled sense of quality. Chablis Saint Martin is created only from the finest plots and grapes, with excellent acidity and remarkable finesse.

Thanks to their insistence on ageing fine lees – yeast remaining from the fermentation process – Chablis Saint Martin possesses the signature minerality of the wine region’s best terroirs. Perfect as an aperitif or to pair with seafood, prawns or fish, this signature wine is justifiably sought-after.

Domaine Laroche winery

Going back further, Domaine Laroche is directly linked to the rich history of Chablis. One of the most respected and largest landholders of Grand Cru vineyard, Domaine Laroche owns 90 hectares of vineyard situated among the best crus (growing area). The winery’s headquarters, the Obédiencerie of Chablis, reveals a complex heritage dating back to the Middle Ages when the Canons of Saint Martin of Tours were making wine. Saint Martin’s relics were hidden in the Obédiencerie for a decade, and the site’s exceptional history is still very much alive today. Domaine Laroche still elaborates and ages its Premiers and Grands Crus in these historic cellars, making its wines a testimony to a thousand years of winemaking history. The Laroche philosophy is expressed in a very special care for the terroirs (the environment’s effect on the wine’s flavour), enabling each unique environment to express its own characteristics in the glass. Maintaining a precise ecological balance, then, is crucial to honouring this unique vineyard’s heritage. Respecting the soil, the workers, and the surrounding environment remain Domaine Laroche’s defining commitments to this day. •

TURBO WINE CLUB OFFER

6 bottles of Domaine Laroche St. Martin 2019 Chablis @ $324

Simply order at www.simplywines.com.au

855 Nepean Highway Brighton VIC 3186 P: 03 9536 1911 W: www.porschebrighton.com.au

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