Tasted in Beine with Anne Moreau & Eric Steinger, 17 January 2024.
Domaine Louis Moreau
10, Grande rue
89800 Beines
Tel: +33 3 86 42 87 20
www.louismoreau.com
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On 2023:
“We battled some maladies but in the end it was a lovely harvest – making wines that, at this stage, seem more supple than the 22s. So let’s see – but, importantly, we have a second vintage with a good volume.”
On 2022:
“Harvesting from 31st August, the ‘harvest-machine’ was already running at 5am most days as it was so hot & dry during the harvest – we were usually finished by lunchtime – better to have harmony and minerality. There had been a little frost in Viviers which made for a few losses. People think 2022 is very generous – it’s a good volume but it’s a correct vintage not a big vintage – certainly not to the levels of 2018 but it’s a good start at reconstituting the stocks. We’ve even had to allocate our Chablis in the last year-or-so – that’s never been seen before. Grand Crus excepted, the wines are now mainly bottled.”
The wines…
In a vintage where it’s harder (for me!) to find the properly great wines – amongst the excellent(!) – here’s a domaine with multiple successes – well done to them. Many wines are worth a special search !!
You may find the Petit Chablis from here with screw-caps. Across the rest of the range, they are now using DIAMs; 3, 5 and 10, plus some similar agglomerates from Trescasses:
2022 Petit Chablis
This has a modest volume of aroma but it’s a super inviting aroma. Mouth-filling, ripe citrus – volume and juiciness – a few small bitters – that’s excellent!
Bottled. Usually about 25 hectares worth of vines. 80% from around Beine, the rest from the communes of Fleys and Chablis. This with Screw-cap
Hmm – that’s another inviting nose – more mineral in style, faintly framed with some salinity. Direct with beautiful clarity – a wine that majors on its linear style and minerality and one that I’d wait 1-2 years – but that could be better than excellent!
2022 Domaine de Biéville, Chablis
From Viviers – 18km east of Beines. In the family since the 70s. South facing, on the plateau, not planted for a long time, pure Kimmerigian terroir. Screwcap here
A nose that’s a hint more zesty. A little less linear but still a wine of minerality – the pulp of the citrus fruit in this flavour. That’s simply excellent wine and I would drink this already! Super wine!
2022 Chablis Cuvée ‘Les 8‘
Not yet bottled, like the GCs – all organic, hand-harvested 50-year-old vines, all done the same as the 1er and GCs. This not yet bottled – probably in March
Wide and with plenty of aromatic energy – that’s a super nose. Calmer, melting with flavour over the palate – this is completely delicious. A little less tension but the most delicious of all so far – no need to wait.
Back to Beine, more north, north-east facing.
Hmm, that’s a beautiful nose – clarity, depth, fine, pure citrus – yes! Ooh that’s so juicy and yellow-citrus fruity. There’s tension and juiciness. That’s already a very dangerous wine – bravo!
2022 Chablis 1er Les Fourneaux
From true Fourneaux. 4 hectares.
A little less width but there’s extra power to the yellow citrus here. Mouth-filling with good energy- more overt complexity, warmer fruit. Pretty finishing. Super!
2022 Chablis 1er Vaillons
2 hectares at the base/heart of Vaillons, vines now 60-years-old. All the work is made organically, HVA certified.
A more middle-ground aromatic style between the previous two wines. Richer but still with a vibrant energy and mouth-watering. Super wine again but I think my personal choice would be the Vau-Lignau this year!
The grand crus have not yet been bottled and wont be before the end of 2024 – roughly 24 months of elevage:
Since 2018 only small stainless steel tanks – no wood – this the most east-facing of these grand crus.
A lovely width of acidulated citrus fruit – framed with a little generosity. The mouth is generous too but also offers a perfect balance of fine texture and mobile flavour. That’s a beautiful Blanchots – bravo!
2022 Chablis Les Clos
Plain-south-facing.
Larger, less rich, very pretty and slightly floral aromas. Super in the mouth – almost a sense of CO2 but not overt. Beautifully mouth-watering – really an extra width of finishing flavour – properly great finishing!
2022 Chablis Clos des Hospices
A riper but still vibrant yellow citrus. Large in the mouth – this has stature. Very silky, extra generosity vs the Clos but not quite to the level of the Blanchots. Perhaps a touch of the exotic in the flavours – but modest. Long finishing – less impressive width in the finish vs Les Clos but fuller at the start.
Large, almost panoramic – a more structural impression than Blanchots. Serious – there’s width but this wine tends more to direction and melts beautifully over the palate. Serious, structured, brilliant. A top Valmur!
2022 Chablis Vaudésir
From the Moutonne hillside.
A more discreet top note(s) but there is a width of aroma that supports – properly mineral here. Round, less impact than the Valmur but more mouth-filling and melting – airy and elegant too. Still with a small serious accent in the finish so wait 2-3 years but this is excellent.