Jean-Claude Rateau Beaune 1er Cru "Les Reversées" red 2022

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

Jean-Claude Rateau Beaune 1er Cru "Les Reversées" red 2022

Technical sheet written by the domaine :

This climat features a vein of very clayey brown limestone soil. The Reversées produce wines that vary greatly from one vintage to another. In years of great maturity, such as 1999 or 2002, the wine is deep, rich, and exhibits a certain austerity in its youth. Aging in bottle bestows nobility and complexity. In lesser maturity years, like 2000, the Reversées yield fine pinot noirs with an incomparable silkiness in their youth.
They express all the sensuality and femininity of Beaune.

Harvesting is destemmed 60 to 90%, fermentation with indigenous yeasts, light punching down morning and evening, long macerations with daily tastings at the end of alcoholic fermentation. Then aging takes place in wood (barrels aged 4 to 10 years, no new barrels, as oak is not the style of the domaine) on lees without racking. Final racking is done with compressed air to limit the use of pumps. Kieselguhr filtration (Kieselguhr is a type of diatomaceous earth, a siliceous sedimentary rock of organic and fossil origin, composed of fossilized remains of diatoms. Its grain size typically 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 various industries, 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 and the time of year. Autumn hilling, spring debudding, light and superficial summer work, and of course, respect for wild flora whenever conditions are favorable (wet periods, vegetation rest). Fertility is maintained with composted manures and rare organic fertilizers, avoiding any excess.

A rich and suitable grape variety. We always favor mass selections and seek great diversity in our plots, either with single 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 older vines, we now practice a pruning method that limits pruning wounds and respects the sap flow 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 around the vineyards, 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 vintage 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.
 
Regular analytical monitoring and tastings allow for the production of wines without unnecessary manipulations. All wines are aged on lees until bottling, which is done at the domaine. Our wines are offered ready for sale, with bottle aging in the cellar, ideal for each cuvée.