clos joliette 2010

"clos joliette is located in the pyrénées-atlantiques in the village of jurançon. it is a parcel of 1 hectare 85 of vines planted in 1929 on a clay-silica soil. the yields are ridiculous, and therefore the production of 1500 bottles is confidential. and yet - or for that reason - its aura is immense. out of time and out of all commercial logic, the owners who have been at the head of the estate have always wished to take a back seat to this unique terroir. here the petit manseng vines were planted in 1929. the plot is exposed east-south-east facing the sun with a soil of ""jurançon poudingues"": pebbles on the surface which raise the temperature during the day and drain the rainwater. it is to this micro-climate that we owe the over-ripeness of the grapes, obtained by passerillage on the vine. the grapes dry out on the vine by the action of the sun and the wind. the grapes are harvested by hand from november to december by successive selections. the wines are aged in barrels of several wines from château de fargues (sauternes) for three to four years. however, do not assume that the estate produces only sweet wines, as the sugar content varies from year to year. the petit manseng grapes that make up this cuvée were harvested by hand, in successive selections, and the wine was aged in barrels. on tasting, the wine has a nice balance between aromatic complexity and beautiful minerality."