Tasted in Chablis with Mark Cameron and François Servin (pictured), 17 January 2024.
Domaine Servin
20 Avenue d’Oberwesel
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 18 90 00
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Mark on 2023:
“Happy in quantity – 2 higher volume vintages in succession is comparatively rare. As a vintage, 2023 didn’t make that much sense – the flowering was quite long – probably the reason that the harvesting was long. The morning sun side looked great but the afternoon sun side made you look twice with all the dried grapes. It was a vintage that we didn’t really know what we would get – and that’s not usually the case.”
Mark on 2022:
“We’re both happy and even a little surprised as it was, technically, a drought year but we still had juice – that’s a nice surprise! 22 is 22 – whether you picked early or late the wines taste like 22 – and the wines also taste like Chablis! In 2018 and 2019 we had some extreme temperatures – in 22 it was hot but probably a year of fewer extremes and less water stress – we had a few small rains but usually at night so we didn’t see it up front very often. I think the vineyards expressed themselves quite well in 2022 – we don’t have any ultra-ripe character – 12.5 to 13.3° the latter due to a small yield in one place.”
The wines…
One of my visits of the vintage – so many ‘great’ wines at one address was very rare in my January tour!
DIAM is used for the PC, all the rest are cork but half of the Chablis is also sealed with screw-cap:
2022 Petit Chablis
Back from zero in 2021. ‘We treat our PC like a Chablis – we don’t cut any corners.’
A little width of freshness that’s accented with some salinity. Supple and generous but with a lovely texture and slowly mouth-watering style. That’s a delicious, simply excellent wine.
A blend of many hectares – 12 – 90% from Pargues around Prehy in this cuvée. Always multiple bottlings.
A slightly narrower nose but of clarity and freshness – you are expecting ‘Chablis.’ Here’s a little extra depth of flavour and a hint of structure. Ooh – that’s a super, obviously mineral, obviously Chablis finish – wait 12-24 months before drinking this but it could be a great Chablis.
3 ha of massale selected vines in the middle of Pargues. 30% in old oak the rest in tank.
A much more open and vibrant nose – I love this energy. Extra clarity – almost chiselled – in style. A rolling finishing flavour, holding, holding. If the previous was potentially great then this too but in a different style – but both I’d keep in the cellar for a little time.
The massale from inside Pargues – all elevage in old oak – as old as 20-years-old.
It’s fresh, it’s open but it’s still discrete – what am I smelling? Broad, extra generosity vs the last two wines – supple and finely textured. Here is a line of flavour – persistent flavour – that runs into the finish. Mark says it is a great bridge to the 1er crus – I’d say it’s as good as plenty of 1er crus – bravo!
2022 Chablis 1er Forêts
0.37 ha – 25 yo vines – one of the younger, planted at almost 10k density – the older Chablis plantations were 5.6 k – all tank elevage.
Broad with well-defined yellow citrus fruit. Beautifully shaped, mobile flavour – there’s structure here with just enough generosity to hide most of the structure. The finish – is minerally complex and rewarding – it’s an excellent wine.
2022 Chablis 1er Vaillons
‘Definitely the most improved 1er over the last years.’
A prettier nose with florals and complex citrus – lovely. A little extra density, and salinity. This has a bit more intensity than this domaine’s Forêts. And it’s a beauty.
2022 Chablis 1er Butteaux
All (old & large-format) barrel elevage. Tiny grapes here
Hmm, yes this is the first wine with some obvious oak on the nose. Supple, layered but a bit oaky for me today – keep this at least 3 years in your cellars if you are oak averse.
2022 Chablis 1er Vaucoupin
Depth and minerality – that’s a beauty. Chiselled and beautifully structured. Clean, mobile flavoured. Simply excellent.
2022 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
48-year-old vines, also coming with the Vaucoupins purchase. Hand-harvested. Lowest yield of the 1ers – ‘it seemed that there was a little frost damage’ – so 33 hl/ha.
Complex width and a faint accent of oak too. Large scale in the mouth with granular complexity – broad and delicious wine – super.
Back to the mineral and with depth too. Large-scale, mouth-watering, structural wine – there is power here. Super intensity in this finish – a baby and you should wait 2-3 years before opening and then probably keep it as long as you like. Potentially a great one.
This not yet bottled – but soon! All tank elevage – ‘we tried oak in 3 separate vintages – part of the elevage – and it changed that character of the wine too much.’
A narrow nose with a hint of structural strictness. Ooh – super shape the strictness follows into the structure here – then a wonderfully finishing minerality. No supple, rich grand cru here – this is a great Chablis.
2022 Chablis Les Preuses
30% old oak fermentations and elevage. 65-year-old vines.
A pretty nose, it may be tighter but there are some pretty flowers on this nose. Great shape in the mouth, supple, moreishly flavoured wine. Persistent, wide and slightly saline – but comfortably saline. That’s excellent Preuses.
2022 Chablis Bougros
All oak – 228s – a little younger oak.
Depth of aroma, some oak accents. Mouth-filling, supple, but behind there’s structure – more Chassagne-Montrachet in style. But delicious wine.
2022 Chablis Les Clos
Another wine not bottled. This all oak but older barrels than the Bougros. Tank sample not bright – it’s currently going through cold stabilisation.
Hmm – that’s got aromatic scale and fine yellow citrus complexity. Super-sized in the mouth – perfectly mouth-filling but with a couple of mm of depth and richness to this texture. Long, almost with a little ginger spice. Clearly a beauty!
For the road:
A little aromatic development but this is clean and with some pretty depth of clean yellow citrus. In the mouth too, there’s intensity and a little tannic grain to this texture. This is very lovely and finishes with plenty of saline accents. Preuses 2020 So no pyrazines or asparagus here.
There is one response to “Servin – 2022”
Bill, Your web link to Domaine Servin connects to a sex site! Any idea how I might get in touch via email? Hoping to visit April 18/19.
Thanks DLP – I’ll let them know – I’ve just had to remove the link from 6 years worth of reports 😉
I’ll get back to you !!
Bill