Jean-Claude Rateau Beaune "Les Beaux et Bons" red 2022

PRESENTATION OF DOMAINE JC RATEAU
+ ALL ITS OTHER WINES IN STOCK

Jean-Claude Rateau Beaune "Les Beaux et Bons" red 2022

Technical sheet written by the domaine:

Here is a cuvée made from two small contiguous terroirs:
- Les Bons Feuvres (iron in old French), a soil rich in iron. Pure iron nodules called goethite or limonite can be found in the soil.
- Les Beaux Fougets (the poplars in old Burgundian), beautiful clayey lands producing a deep, open Beaune with aromas of black cherry. One of the most developed and long-aging terroirs of Beaune.

Harvesting destemmed 60 to 90%, fermentation with indigenous yeasts, light punch downs morning and evening, long macerations with daily tastings at the end of Alcoholic Fermentation, followed by long aging in wood (barrels aged 4 to 10 years, no new barrels, oak is not the style of the domaine) on lees and without racking. Final racking with compressed air to limit the use of pumps. Kieselguhr filtration (Kieselguhr is a variety of diatomite, a siliceous sedimentary rock of organic and fossil origin, composed of fossilized remains of diatoms. Its grain size generally ranges from 10 to 200 µm. It is soft and very light due to its high porosity. This property allows it to be used for filtration in the industry, notably for wine and brewing.) before bottling, bottling under inert gas to minimize SO2 additions.

In the Vineyard
Living soils. All our soils are plowed, with different sequences of work corresponding to the nature of each soil, as well as to the time of year. Autumn hilling, spring de-hilling, light and superficial summer work, and of course respecting the wild flora as soon as conditions are more favorable (wet period, rest of vegetation). Maintaining fertility is done with composted manures, rare organic fertilizers, avoiding any excess.

A rich and adapted grape variety. We always favor mass selections and seek great diversity in our plots, either in unique grape varieties or in co-planting.

A respectful pruning. Many vines are trained in cordons to promote better sunlight exposure for the grapes, producing smaller and healthier bunches. For old vines, we now practice a pruning that limits pruning wounds and respects the sap flows of the vine (Guyot Poussard pruning).

Biodiversity and landscape. We respect every bush, bank, scree, and wall to shelter a varied fauna and promote a rich and complex flora. If necessary, we replant hedges.
Fruit trees regain their place at the edges of the vines, and numerous plantings are planned.

In the Cellar
Of course, the harvest is manual, to gather, in good spirits, perfectly sorted grapes, at the peak of the vintage's maturity.

After a slow pressing for whites, or a light crushing for reds at the beginning of the maceration of the berries or whole bunches, the musts spontaneously begin fermentation with their indigenous yeasts.

The ideal is to obtain a wine without additives, except for the addition of the smallest possible dose of sulfur. Some cuvées are made without sulfites.
Aging, in the cellar, favors wood, enamelled steel, and stainless steel.

Analytical monitoring and regular tastings allow for the production of wines without unnecessary manipulations. All wines are aged on lees, until bottling done at the domaine. Our wines are offered ready for sale, with ideal bottle and cellar aging for each cuvée.