Tasted in Chablis with Guénolé Breteaudeau & Amandine Marchive, 18 January 2024.
Domaine des Malandes
11 route d’Auxerre
89800 Chablis
Tel. +33 3 86 42 41 37
www.domainedesmalandes.com
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Amandine & Guénolé on 2023:
“2024 will be the 50th anniversary of the domaine !! But, yes very happy with 2023 both the quantity and the quality. We had some issues with some cuvées that didn’t ferment as fast as the others but they are tasting well.”
Amandine & Guénolé on 2022:
“Despite the black frost we harvested a good volume and we could take some VCI too – we harvested very early, the 31st of August – the same start date as in 2020. All the first bottlings have been done – in fact, much of the Petit Chablis has already been sold from the domaine. From this vintage, the wines are all certified organic. Together with 2019 these are the best wines I’ve made so far in my career!”
The wines…
Very classy, delicious wines – their ‘Envers de Valmur’ is a great villages!
2022 Petit Chablis
2 sectors, Beines and La Chapelle de Vaupelteigne. On the plateau of Beines where there was a lot of snow – not a lot more than 1,000 bottles – normally there’s closer to 30k bottles ‘in a very good year’.
Narrow but clean – these are inviting aromas. Supple – easy over the palate but with clearly mineral flavours and a lovely intensity – a sneaky intensity of finishing flavour – the best part, really lovely wine.
2022 Chablis
The largest cuvée of the domaine. 15 hectares, three parcels in Prehy, another parcel near Montmains and one near Côte de Lechets. Practically all left bank
Also a little narrow but still with more punch to the aroma. Larger scale in the mouth, with more width and salinity in these flavours. Holding on a long mineral note – I’d wait a year for this to ease but the shape and flavour is lovely.
Right bank in the valley of Vaudesir. The vines planted by grandfather in 1967 – but due to their orientation classed as villages. Doing a lot of work here, ‘it’s almost like dentistry to save the vines from ESCA.’ Always with separate elevage, one part in barrel. This cuvée was previously called Tour du Roy – but now that house has been sold to someone else, so… This is the climat name.
A little extra width of aroma and some florals too for this one. More supple, melting with lovely flavour – I love the silky texture. Almost panoramic flavour – even into the finish – that’s a great villages – bravo!
2022 Chablis 1er Vau de Vey
Very steep vineyard near Beines – it doesn’t have the sun the whole day so is harvested a little later. A mix of hand and machine harvesting. A single block and the biggest 1er of Malandes with 40-year-old vines – ‘It was hard with the young vines as they were a bit too productive and we lost plenty to ESCA – now they have settled down and produce a proper rendement – steep here with 1.5 metre spacing – needs a tractor driver without fear!’ 40% oak but none new. Largest volume 1er here – around 3 steep hectares of vines.
A more airy width of progressively more mineral aromas. A little extra depth to this flavour and the first wine where you can sense the barrels a little. Extra generous finishing and lasting well. I’d keep this two years so that the oak is gone.
2022 Chablis 1er Côte de Léchet
Vines about 40 years old. ‘It’s very stony here, we prefer to preserve that with stainless steel – almost 1.4 hectares that are part worked by horse – it doesn’t like the steep part but is happy on the flat part at the top!’ Some oak here for the first time – one-third but only with 500-litre barrels
Broader, plenty of complexity here – aromatically I don’t see the oak. Sweeter but more direct – then holding a strong line of flavour – I love this middle-to-finishing flavour – here it’s great !!
2022 Chablis 1er Montmains
Old vines – planted by grandfather – a massale selection like the Tour du Roy, approaching 65 years old. 30% barrel. ‘Usually, a serious wine when young.’
A more direct nose – airy yellow citrus and florals. More mouth-filling and open. The minerality is more overt here but this is rather a wine of width vs the linearity of the finish of the last. Calm, mineral and assured, excellent wine!
2022 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
From the heart of the historic Fourchaume, parcels from father and grandfather – also about 65 years old. Lots of millerandes so hand-harvested, and almost always the first parcel harvested.
For a Fourchaume that’s got a very fine definition of citrus fruit. Direct, cool fruit, almost a little golden – broad and intense finish – a wide finish – that’s a very classic wine for a cru that’s rarely my favourite. I love it!
2022 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
A small parcel since 2011– 0.25 ha – swapped some Vaudesir for this – but not the ownership! They work each other’s parcels! Always the first parcel to be harvested. It’s on high near the wood so doesn’t normally frost – though it was decimated in 2016 and brought just 500-litres in 2021.
A much wider nose – here the oak is showing a bit more. Richer, silkier but still with a lovely clarity and delivery of flavour. Melting with delicious flavour – I’d like a bit more obvious structure but there’s no denying how delicious this wine is – wait 2-3 years to let the oak fade.
2022 Chablis Vaudesir
Hand harvested from the ‘coté lunaire, not solaire’, needs harvesting 3 or 4 days later. Directly opposite Le Moutonne, so cooler, and now worked by horse.
A suggestion of oak but also a nose that’s more incisive than the Mont de Milieu. Cool, direct, supple and obviously mineral. This has a width of finishing flavour that’s not the largest of these but it’s clearly the most persistent so far. A very lovely wine.
2022 Chablis Les Clos
All by hand and with the same elevage as the Vaudesir.
A good width to this aroma, accented with some barrel but not excessively. Cooler fruit – of width – clearly with a little better structural definition vs the Vaudésir – finishing with some salinity to the super-persistent flavour. Super wine – I love it!
And for the road:
Higher toned width – already with a subtle development – expressive and slightly floral. Hmm, more acidity, more direct – an attractive hint of austerity – lovely energy. Just completely delicious even after the grand crus. Bravo!