Tasted in Beine with Nathalie Geoffroy, 03 January 2022.
Domaine Alain Geoffroy
4, rue de l’Equerre
89800 Beine
Tel: +33 3 86 42 43 76
www.chablis-geoffroy.com
More reports with Domaine Alain Geoffroy
Nathalie on 2020 & 2021:
“In 2021 the frost left us with only about 40% of a normal vintage – but we can be thankful as we know that’s more than many producers. 2020 also didn’t bring a lot but I’d tend to say that it was an acceptable volume – about 20% down – so we can cope with that. But the wines! We were very happy with the grapes and the wines have a lovely tension – maybe 2010 could be a good comparison. The wines seemed a little meagre at the start of elevage but grew – you could also compare with 2012 and 2014 but with a lighter, more airy style.”
The wines…
One or two wines a little green this year but the others are excellent.
Everything has had at least one bottling, though there will be some later bottlings of some of the larger volume wines. Using some screw-caps for the PC and Chablis, the rest are cork. There are new labels for the export market since 2018.
2020 Petit Chablis
‘Not a really big’ cuvée, but from 5 hectares of vines!
That’s really bright, floral and pure – the suggestion of some herby pyrazine but this is still very attractive. Mouth-watering, bubbling with an easy, slightly saline minerality. Easy wine but complex and delicious…
2020 Chablis
The classic cuvée that sees only tank elevage. Usually 30 hectares worth of vines here. Beines, Lignorelles and Chapelle le Vaulpeteigne
There’s extra depth and width and a good airy dimension too – this nose is inviting. A more structural wine but full of herby and mouth-watering flavour energy. This is wide with a floral-mineral hybrid of finish – clean finishing and delicious again.
2020 Chablis Vieilles Vignes
Some part of oak elevage in this cuvée, not new barrels but 100% barrel. The average age of this assembly of parcels is 50+ – mainly from Cornas in Beine
Broad, faintly spiced, less overall aromatic complexity it seems. But this is wider and more vibrant – extra finishing intensity too – I like the start of the last and complex and stricter finish of this today.
2020 Chablis 1er Beauroy
The historic cuvée of the family – almost 9.5 hectares averaging close to 40-years-old vines principally in the area of Troesmes. Have sometimes bottled as such – but it was a hard sell!
Fine, complex, saline and attractive. A little extra impact and width, slowly fading into a point in the distance – this is a finish that quickly shrinks but holds a fine finishing beam of flavour.
2020 Chablis 1er Vau-Ligneau
About 2.5 hectares – ‘Not a big parcel for us! There’s less sun here. The vines are now about 35 years old and the cuvée gets more and more interesting.’ Only tank elevage.
Again a width of green herby aroma, almost touched with pyrazine. Wider, more overtly mineral and mouth-watering. Extra tension here plus a fine finishing burst of flavour. Borderline austerity in the finish but in a good, proper Chablis style.
2020 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
A parcel of 2.5 ha all in the same sector of ‘real’ Fourchaume.
A slightly softer and more floral nose. Wide, mineral and structured – a lovely and growing intensity of flavour, waves of finishing. Wait a while for this but this is an excellent wine!
2020 Chablis Les Clos
Not proprietors here but each year buy from friends. Part oak, part tank elevage. Only a small production.
A quieter nose but also one of more density and complexity – faintly spiced complexity – so perhaps a little barrel is talking here. Supple, concentrated, mobile – this is beautiful in the mouth – really a concentration jump from the 1er crus – certainly in terms of overt richness. Yet, this has fine balance and holds its fruit flavour – more honied and golden in style today – much longer than the others. I’d like a bit more zip but everything else is here. That’s super again.