Our day began with a short drive to the village of Courgis, this year’s host of the 45th Saint Vincent Festival (St Vincent is the patron saint of winemakers). The honour next year goes to Prehy, it will be 2031 before Courgis hosts it again.
You would expect me to be accustomed to the cold after 20 years of living in Aberdeen but none of us were quite prepared for the minus 10 degrees that would follow us around for 3 days. A 2km walk down hill from the drop-off point gave an opportunity to take in the rolling vineyards below.
The villagers had been busy for a long time in preparation for the celebrations, with each house and winding road decorated with hundreds of paper flowers. The theme was games – cue giant Rubik’s cube and Monopoly board.
The service from Notre Dame de Courgis was broadcast across the village by tannoy as were the speeches during the day, occasionally punctuated by bursts of the traditional Burgundian wine song and much waving and clapping of hands and wherever people were, they joined in. A parade of statues from each village set off from the church accompanied by members of La Confrérie Des Piliers Chablisiens in their green and gold gowns.
A wine, with grapes from around Chablis, is produced especially for the occasion and was available from a number of ‘Caveaux’ set up around the village- it was well-chilled, in fact so cold that remnants in the glass froze!
It was also my first introduction to fragrant, citrusy Vin Blanc Chaud. It was very welcome not just as a warming drink but as a hand warmer too.
Lunch was simple and alfresco – frites, escargots and andouillettes.
Back in Chablis, warmed by thermals and hot chocolate, we took a stroll through the vineyards of the Grand Cru. Starting at the foot of Les Clos and working our way up the steep slope this gave a real feel of the aspect of the vineyards and also justified another excellent meal at the Hostellerie des Clos in the evening!
Photos by Hugo Read
J Moreau et Fils by Angela Reddin
Now owned by Boisset Family Estates, the estate is one of the oldest in Chablis. A heavily pregnant Lucie Depuydt, winemaker at J Moreau et Fils, was our host for the tasting at the winery just outside Chablis itself. Described as much a viticultural warrior as a winemaker, Lucie is very firm about what style she wants to make and spends as much time in the vineyards as in the winery. Fruit comes from 15 different growers: Lucie is very hands on, advising as how best to achieve the fruit balance for each style of Moreau wine. They are not organic as “that is not a good thing here”, because of Chablis’ northerly climate but they are using less sulphur.
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| Photo by Hugo Read |
Vinification - Depending on what level they are producing can be either stainless steel, as for the Petit Chablis. They are very careful re oxidation, vinification is “simple”. Denis Dubourdieu spent some time with them as consultant and advised changing the harvest date.
They also took his advice with regards to understanding the “good maturity of the grapes” and now pick earlier. Juice pressing became gentler and slower to avoid phenolics, juice settling became less, and fermentation quicker to avoid oxidation. Neutral yeasts are used to cut out yeast aromas.
The malolactic fermatation is induced straight after the alcoholic fermentation, if they decide to do it, to avoid oxidation. Lucie belives that if a malolactic fermentation is not needed it indicates the grapes were picked too late. The wine is kept on gross less without stirring and is cold stabilised without tartrate addition meaning less chilling but more wine movement which can lead to oxidation so it is all very carefully monitored. Kieselguhr filtration after stabilisation. The wine is racked after fermentation and following cold stabilisation and again finally after filtering.
Domaine de la Meuliere by David Copp
Domaine de la Meuliere is owned by the Laroche brothers (unrelated to the Laroche company and other Laroche vignerons /co-operative members) and comprises 24 hectares, mainly around the village of Fleys a couple of miles to the east of Chablis, but also in 4 of the premiers crus vineyards at the heart of the town.
Vincent Laroche cares for the vines and is responsible for sales: Nicolas makes the wines and runs the cellar. Both brothers share a belief in natural processes, controlled yields and manual harvesting (and handwork in general) because they feel it is the best way to express the true nature of their individual terroirs. They pick to ensure maximum freshness of flavour, press lightly and ferment at around 18˚C.
Of the Premiers Crus, the stand out wine was the 2010 Vaucoupin which had elegance and finesse with pretty floral notes. It won a gold medal in the 2010 Chablis awards.
I also admired the well-rounded Fourchaume 2010. This vineyards adjoins the Grands Crus and there is a streak of blue clay which adds fatness and suppleness to the firm mineral edge. The other wines tasted included a lively Mont de Milieu 2010, and the rich and generously flavoured 2008 Mont de Milieu Vieilles Vignes, Cuvée les Gougueys, made from low yields of 62 year old vines with a small part of the cuvée being matured in oak.
In Chablis it is sometimes difficult for a visitor to appreciate some of the finer wines during their ‘shut-down’ period which can last for 2-3 years after the first year. Patience and understanding are required. But Vincent assured me that both the 2009 and 2010 vintages have plenty to offer and that the very best expression of these vineyards would become even more evident in two years time.
Pascal Bouchard by Gilbert Winfield
This looks deceptively simple, but, just as in most other facets of Chablis, the reality is more complicated, for within this company reside two others: DRB, described as a new concept, created by Pascal Bouchard’s two sons Damien and Romain, and Romain Bouchard, Domaine de la Grande Chaume, wines from Romain’s ‘estate’.
It was Romain who guided us with great charm and humility through a tasting of wines from all three estates.
The building at Pascal Bouchard is slick and modern, a pristinely clean efficiency of design; perhaps to allude to the clean minerality of the wines. Under the guidance of Romain, who is the organic enthusiast in the family, the viticulture here is heading towards sustainable, with chemical fertilisers and treatments eliminated, and grass grown between the rows.
The outside temperature was -10°, so we all have our coats on, as you see. Romain is in the centre.
Pascal Bouchard is a traditional sort of house, with oak, almost all old, used to some extent for all the wines. He doesn’t want it to show, though, only to broaden the flavours, and this is borne out by the tasting. Highlights include a classic 1er Cru Fourchaume ‘Vieilles Vignes’ 2010, from 30-60 year-old vines, showing peach and melon fruit charm, typical of Fourchaume, with that fresh, mineral (an overused word but it is everywhere here) stone fruit acidity, and a superb Grand Cru Les Clos 2007. 100% oak aging is used, but it doesn’t taste oaky, instead showing open, buttery richness, ripe white stone fruit, apricots, and clean, steely, Grand Cru linearity (d’you see how I managed to avoid the ‘m’ word!)
Romain refers to DRB as a ‘boutique negotiant’. They buy must from single vineyard parcels of selected growers, and vinify at their father’s estate. There is no blending; in their words ‘...each wine offers the expression of its own terroir’. Both brothers are involved equally, although Damien tends to be more in charge of vinification. They try to avoid oak. However, the star of the range which they showed us was their 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 2010, which won Gold Medal in the Concours des Vins de Chablis. This was vinified 100% in oak, simply because only 1709 bottles are produced, and they don’t have a tank small enough. Although not new, I thought the oak did show a little, with a hint of creamy vanilla on top of ripe melon and lime flavours, and a long, austere, very dry steely finish.
The proportion used to calculate the rent is 11 Hl/Ha for the 1er Cru (out of a maximum of 50Hl/Ha), and 7Hl/Ha for the Chablis, multiplied by the area of the land. The result is that if Romain gets a yield of 40 Hl/Ha or more for his 1er Cru, the vineyard is profitable. If, as in 2010, he gets 29, it isn’t. The wine was terrific. AB Organic Certified, it showed broad, diffuse white fruit, a stony, clean, yes, mineral palate, a youthful freshness, and great balance. He is working toward Biodynamic certification, in his words ‘bit by bit’.
Romain Bouchard’s comment on his methods told a lot: “I need to learn. I like everything, I am very open”. This open-minded attitude seems to be bearing fruit at this exciting Chablis estate.
Domaine Pinson by Anthony Stockbridge
In thirty years of visiting Chablis, I have passed the gates of Domaine Pinson in the ancient quarter dozens of times. At picking time, I have watched as tractor-loads of freshly-picked chardonnay are quickly driven through the stone arch to be weighed and recorded before moving on to the presses.
Now, for the first time, I was allowed to pass through the same gate to meet Laurent Pinson and his daughter, Charlene.
A family estate for 350 yeards, Domaine Pinson was passed on to Laurent, the winemaker and Christophe, who is responsible for the vineyards in 1988. Together they have continued to grow both the reputation of the wines and the size of the holding; they now own 14 hectares including land in Grand Cru Les Clos and in the Premiers Crus of Montee de Tonnerre, Montmains and Forets, Mont de Milieu and Fourchaume.
All of Christophe’s grapes are hand-picked by an army of local pickers to avoid the oxidation that can be associated with machine picking. Once the bunches are pressed Laurents applies the techniques he feels appropriate to each parcel to extract the essence of both the soil and the year: 100% stainless steel for the Chablis then tank or cask fermentation for the Crus followed by ageing for between 8 and twelve months in new and old oak casks after malolactic fermentation.
We mainly tasted the 2010 vintage but tried the 2009 Les Clos to see the effect of a year’s ageing. During the elevage, it is usual for the cru wine to close down for a couple of years before showing its true worth five years after bottling. We were lucky then, in most cases, the wines had stayed awake for us.
1. Chablis
2. La Foret 1er Cru (8-9 Months in 3 to 5 year-old oak)
3. Montmain 1er Cru (10% oak-fermented, blended after malo then 8 months in old oak.
4. Fourchaume 1er Cru
5. Mont de Milieu 1er Cru
6. Les Clos Grand Cru
7. Les Clos Grand Cru 2009
The Les Clos are fermented 20% in new oak, 80% in tank then aged for 12 months in old oak after malolactic fermenation.
Each of these wines showed the spirit of the terroir but with a distinct Pinson fruity style. We had a lot to thank Christophe, Laurent and Charlene for.
Award Winners from the 26th Concours des Vins de Chablis by Hugo Read
Whilst touring Chablis with the AWE, we were given a tasting of all the medal winning wines from this year’s Concours des Vins de Chablis, which was held in January.
We were lucky enough to have Eric Szablowski with us for the tasting, who was winemaker at leading producer William Fèvre for 15 years before setting up his own Chablis tastings and tours business, Au Coeur du Vin. Now he’s also been accredited by the Ecole des Vins de Bourgogne as an Ambassador of Burgundy Wines, which was why he was on hand to take us through the Chablis medal winners. I feel it’s safe to say it would be hard to find anyone who understands more about Chablis’ vineyards and wines! It was fascinating listening to Eric talk about the region. For him, Petit Chablis is an expression of Chardonnay from the greater Chablis area, whereas he sees Chablis as having a very specific terroir characteristic – expressing the Kimmeridgian soil of the region.
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| Eric Szablowski |
One thing we learned through the trip was the difference between left and right bank 1er Cru wines. The former, very generally speaking, are slightly lighter, racier and more floral, whereas the latter are usually richer, rounder and fuller. So on that theme, here are a couple of highlights from the concours, two 1er cru wines, one from each bank:
In the Chablis 1er Cru 2010 Right Bank category, Domaine Christophe et Fils won a silver medal for their Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume. The wine was fairly full and round and slightly spicy, with a lemon crispness running right through it. A very long finish and a terrific wine.
In the Chablis 1er Cru 2010 Left Bank category, Domaine Servin also won silver for their Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons. This one by contrast was lighter in style, with a crisp green apple and lemon character and a slightly floral nose. A very well balanced wine, it was elegant and long. Also first rate.
Coming after a full day of domaine visits, this tasting of Chablis medal winners underlined something that had become ever more apparent as the trip progressed; the excellent value represented by 1er cru Chablis. For a relatively modest premium, say €15 for 1er cru bought directly from a domaine instead of €10 for regular Chablis, you get a serious step up in quality. The Grand Cru wines were of course fantastic, but as they typically cost at least twice the price of the 1er cru wines I think the former generally offer the best value. What also became increasingly clear was the open, attractive and well balanced nature of the 2010 vintage – it’s a classic.
Domaine Laroche by Barley Blyton
Pyramid stacks of old vintages in concrete-cubes. We cellar-wander. Angela dips a finger into a barrel... I smell it (smells of Chablis). Brown arms gesticulating, Matthieu (Laroche’s viticulturist) explains their 13th century press.
We sit around a fireplace of candles. Discussions are rapid, heated, specific, not for the timid – as we’re three days in, no-one is timid.
We drink Domaine Laroche Saint Martin 2010. It forms a clean, white base to the debate. 27 and twice my height our host Matthieu never hesitates throughout a current of questions.
Laroche is both grower (Domaine Laroche) and negociant. We talk in length about soil as the 90 hectares of Domaine Laroche are in organic conversion.
To paraphrase Matthieu’s views: organic fertiliser equals livelier soils equals greater expression. Organic matter must first be broken down by microbes in the soil before the vines can sup on nutrients therefore ensuring no direct influence on flavour.
Artifical fertilisers plus herbicides destroys life in the soils and the more direct transfer of nutrients means that it is more the nature of the fertilisers expressed in the grape rather than the identity of the soil.
Behind Hugo, Anthony and Gilbert white butterflies are stuck to white walls and flower lamps throw petal shadows over their faces. Laura, Angela and Carol are framed by a wall of sea, the globe scribbled on in white lines.
The Domaine Laroche wines are like a finely mannered family of genteel descent. Ivory skin, good bone structure, fine features, lace handkerchiefs. Les Vaudevay with its high cheekbones and blue eyes is the coldest premier cru crammed with big rocks. Fourchaume is a better-fed cousin, south facing and protected in the valley from the northerly winds, there are moments in which you can see his steely bone structure but he has more flesh on his bones and pinker cheeks that speak of a warmth in the soil, there is a richness in a round belly. Blanchot, shy upon arrival, overpowered by the cheese, she appears gentle and there is a softness and feminity to her easy grace but one can tell that beneath this she is poised, her gestures precise and her will as hard as limestone.
“A great wine should be made by a crazy viticulturist and a lazy wine-maker” Matthie Apffel. February 2012
LA CHABLISIENNE by KEITH GRAINGER
By Tuesday morning we were all well seasoned to the crisp delights of early February in the Serein Valley, and were coming to terms with which bank was which, so it was time to visit the district’s largest producer: La Chablisienne. Although the thought of a visit to a cooperative can sometimes instil a sense of dread in the minds of wine educators and writers, such is the reputation of this producer that we were all enthusiastic and actually arrived rather early.
We were greeted by Hervé Tucki, who in many ways is M. La Chablisienne. He has been employed here since 1985, but his relationship with the cooperative started long before that – his father Jean-Michel Tucki was the previous director: “I learnt how to smell in the cellar, and to ride my bike and play football in the cellar too.” We were charmed with anecdotes, and imbibed a detailed yet personal treatise on the district and the essence of Chablis wines, together with a brief history of the cooperative, which was founded in 1923, at a time when life was very hard for Chablis growers.La Chablisienne takes must from its 300 producer members (there were some interesting discussions on use of the term ‘producer’ – to Hervé a producer is a grower) and the co-op now makes some 25% of the total Chablis production. The concept of minerality is to the fore, a topic which had raised some interesting discussions in other visits, with some critics believing that minerality has more to do with free sulphur dioxide than Kimmeridge or Portlandian! Hervé also sees the greater picture – “I am a Burgundy man – I am also a Pinot Noir man”, but Chardonnay and Pinot are expressions of a sense of place in Burgundy. And to Hervé, terroir rules supreme, although he recognises the role of individual winemakers:“We don’t make good wine with democracy”, but there is a line that runs through all the wines. “We love to keep energy and freshness” notes Hervé, “we don’t like bâtonnage”. And styles develop within the framework: “We have memory, but there is a new page every year.”
The tasting line-up comprised eleven wines including all four Chablis appellations. All were finely tuned. It was exciting to taste both the 2009 and 2008 Chablis Les Vénerables Vieilles Vignes. ‘Vieilles’ here means between 35 and 100 years old; 20% or so of the cuvée is barrel-aged on the fine lees but, as we have seen, without bâtonnage. Bottling takes place some 18 months after the harvest, and the development shown by the 2008,with a palette of tertiary flavours beginning to interweave clearly demonstrated that this a wine that really deserves bottle age. Throughout our visit to Chablis the group had been most impressed by the price/quality ratio of the Premier Cru wines, and La Chablisienne was no exception. The 2009 Mont de Milieu was totally stunning - if anybody struggles with the concept of minerality this is a wine that sends a shiver down the spine as though a sharp blade has been lightly run down the length of your back. The 2008 Vaulorent was rich and quite chunky yet still quintessential Chablis with layer upon layer of flinty, stony, flavours.
However, there can be no doubt that the jewel in the crown of la Chablisienne is Château Grenouilles. Grenouilles, probably named after the frogs on the banks of the nearby Serein, is the smallest of the Grands Crus climats with just 9.4 hectares. Château Grenouilles comprises 80% of the plot with 7.2 hectares. It became part of Chablisienne in 2003, and Hervé speaks with immense pride about this small plot. The care in the vineyard, the hand harvesting of grapes, low-pressure pressing, and maturation half in vat and half in barrel – these are facts but the wine in the glass is pure art. The 2008, still a baby but already showing the future – simply stunning!
Jean-Marc Brocard by Vivienne Franks
For our last visit on this trip we drove down into Préhy, just to the Southwest of Chablis to meet with the Brocard family and taste their three Geological Bourgogne Blancs made from grapes grown on Jurassic, Portlandian and Kimmeridgian soils and their impressive range of Premier Cru and Grand Cru Chablis wines.
Founded by Jean-Marc Brocard in 1974, this is one of the youngest and most innovative domaines we encountered, certainly with the most biodynamic vineyard area. Jean-Marc’s son, Julien, is responsible for the move to biodynamic production, with 5 wines already on the international market.
From planting 1.5 hectares in 1973 to harvesting 200 hectares currently, of which 35 hectares are fully biodynamic, a further 35 hectares are well on the way to full conversion from the 2011 harvest. In addition to wines from the Chablis region, Petit Chablis through to Grand Cru, there is also a Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc de Noirs, three red wines, including an Irancy ‘Les Mazelots’, a Bourgogne Aligoté and a Sauvignon de Saint-Bris.
Pierre, the fluent English speaking ex-chef and sommelier, guided us through the cellar to see tanks, barriques, foudres and ‘cement eggs’ in which the Grand Cru Chablis ‘Les Preuses’ is fermented and matured. Photos of the magnificent view over the vineyards were speedily achieved, due to the less than clement wind and chilling temperatures!
Jean-Marc and Julien dropped in to the tasting room to meet us. Jean-Marc told us that he believed ‘The truth of wine lies in the soil where it has grown. The technique is an important factor in the wine growing, but it is only an aid. The wine is essentially the product of the soil. The soil of Chablis is exceptional and cannot be found anywhere else in the world.’
By comparing the 2010 Petit Chablis, Chablis and Chablis ‘Vieilles Vignes’ from the 86 hectare Domaine Sainte Claire vineyard, situated around the winery, the different levels of intensity of these wines was clearly demonstrated.
The tasting consisted of 16 different wines, including three with our typical Chablis lunch of local paté de porc, followed by Jambon avec sauce Chablis et riz, fromage then mousse au chocolat. A perfect end to an interesting trip.
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