Clos de la Chatenière is one of Lamy’s prestige terroirs and perhaps his most famous wine. The Clos is a specific site, enclosed by dry-stone walls within the larger Chatenière vineyard in St-Aubin. Lamy has 1.25 hectares here and the vines are 60 years old. For all intents and purposes, this is a monopole, as Lamy is the only grower able to bottle a separate wine from here and label it accordingly. Colin-Morey is the only other grower with a small parcel which he blends into his La Chatenière bottling. It’s a high, steep, south-facing vineyard, set just back and around the bend from En Remilly and Les Murgers des Dents de Chien. It is worked entirely by hand because of the vineyard’s 40% slope and incredibly rocky soils. This gradient and the southern aspect of Clos de la Chatenière ensure the vines receive plenty of light, while the rocky, limestone-rich soils (20cm of rocky topsoil over hard, compact limestone) give the wines a piercing minerality that perfectly offsets the low-yielding intensity. The 2020 is a wonderful, wonderful example.
