Pichot Vouvray Electron Libre 2020

This is the first edition of L’Electron Libre, a new ‘super cuvée’ from Christophe Pichot and inspired by the best young sommelier of 2021, Marie Wodecki from Hôtel Crillon in Paris. The concept is to fully represent the domaine by selecting one small parcel of fruit from each of the domaine’s ten vineyard plots, which include some of the best premier coteau sites above the village and those above the winery in the Vallée de Nouys.

The parcels are whole-bunch pressed as one batch and the juice cold-settled for 24 hours, before racking to ten new 300-litre barrels for ferment. Christophe allows the ferment to proceed to its natural conclusion and in 2020 the wine finished with 14 g/L of residual sugar, which beautifully balances the naturally high acidity of the Chenin Blanc fruit.

And such is the power of the fruit that after 12 months maturation, the new oak is completely assimilated, resulting in a wine of remarkable purity, concentration and complexity.

With just the ten barrels produced, L’Electron Libre is a resounding success. Indeed it’s a wine that will reward decades of cellaring (in a properly cool cellar) and elevates the wines of Domaine Pichot to a new level, certainly the equal of any in the region.