– a note on Ceramics

I am in the middle of tasting the splendid, sometimes even great 2025 vintage … reds and white … and have a few raw notes that I like to share.

#1

There is a continued discussion about Ceramic elevage – Clayver – this is understandable, as this “new” type of elevage was very much hyped two to three years ago when Charles Lachaux changed his winemaking to 100% Ceramic.

The hype has been reduced, as wines are becoming available for tastings and consumption … so what is the status seen from my stems?

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#2

To me, Ceramic elevage is just another type of elevage available. Concrete, oak, glass, and steel have been used for elevage for quite some years … many years in some cases.

Ceramics have their properties and qualities … that work well with some kind of use, less so with other types and vintages.

Clayver should be used accordingly … if it suits your palate and wines/vinification, then this is perfect … some love the style, others don’t. But make no mistake, it is a style, a choice and a statement of some sort. There is no elevage that can be seen as non-influential…

#3

Vintages are different, so the expression with Clayver is also changing from year to year, and to me it is pretty clear that big and expressive vintages work better with Ceramic elevage … as they have more stuffing,

When the vintage gets cooler, lighter, and less expressive, I seem to lack some emotional depth … charm perhaps … and warmth in the mid-palate fruit. Some would call it makeup… others a style …

Longer elevage has been used to enrich the Clayver wines with some success… partly due to the longer oxidation through the Ceramic vessel.

Tasting the ceramic wines in the 2025 vintage can currently feel a bit nude, and we will see if the vintage can fill the gaps with the charm you find in the oak-elevated 2025s

We will see

I don’t pass any judgment, as in the end it is a choice of elevage … I do have my preferences, and in most cases I don´t see any problems in either elevage … but acknowledge that I do have a preference for sensual wines …

I do, however, expect some Claiver fans to back down a bit, to employ a more flexible approach … where the wine stands before the principles.

The combination of Oak and Ceramics works very well in some contexts!