Tasted with Mélanie Laffay in Chablis, 13 May 2024.

Domaine Thierry Laffay
20 Rue Paul Bert
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 47 41
www.chablisthierrylaffay.com
Domaine Instagram
More reports with domaine Thierry Laffey

Mélanie on this year so far:
“We lit candles on one of the three days – as for the hail – some parts not touched and others obviously ‘touched.’”

Mélanie on 2023:
“I think that we can be happy as we have nice quality and the quantity was good too. It was mine and my sister’s first vintage but we’re officially responsible for the harvest the first time in 2024 – we could have chosen better! There will be no bottlings before July…”

Mélanie on 2022:
“Bottled since July 2023 – a bit earlier for part of the 22 Petit Chablis because we had so little wine in 21, of course. The market seems to be improving with the nicer weather…”

The wines…

A lovely range of wines in this vintage – worth looking out for !!

2022 Petit Chablis
A nose of depth and almost textured complexity. Supple, here is concentration and a nice shape – it’s a wine that is generous but grows in intensity, finishing in juicy style. A wine of concentration and good flavour – yum!

2022 Chablis
A very similar aromatic to the PC but clearly with more depth to the aroma. Also similar in approach to flavour – generous – almost layered – concentration in this case with fine silky texture – a finish that radiates out from the core. More considered, contemplative finishing than the PC but delicious wine!

2022 Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
A parcel on high near Vaillons
A little more airy – certainly deep – there’s almost a faint, certainly attractive, noble reduction. More energy and scale – what a super wine – this has great texture again and also a couple of mm of cushion but essentially here is a mix of citrus and mineral energy – lovely – and so persistent too!!

2022 Chablis 1er Vaillons
Less aromatic depth but here is width and it’s a slightly floral-perfumed width too. Also energetic, more juicy in style, deep, more acidulated-pear in style to this flavour long, mineral and a suggestion of reduction again – a wine that really holds and holds.

2019 Chablis 1er Vaillons
No barrel here…
Hmm – that’s a rounder nose but also a very attractive nose with a hint of evolution but no obvious barrel. In the mouth, this is the most crystalline and melting of these wines – fluid and juicy. That’s complex and faintly suggests a hint of creaminess in the finish. I love it !!

2022 Chablis 1er Vaillons
This with barrel elevage
A large-scale nose in all directions – lots of aromatic oak visible here but still quite a perfumed wine. There is intensity here with the generosity and cushion of the other wines but an oak that needs at least 2 years possibly as much as 4 or 5 to fade I think – but if you like that flavour don’t hesitate – this is a delicious wine that has a fine purity and impressive length too…

2022 Chablis 1er Mont du Milieu
A shimmering width of complexity and airy clarity to this mineral nose. Scale and a little extra structure – balanced by the generosity of presentation here this year. Slowly, subtly fading. Delicious wine…

2022 Chablis Vaudesir
A calmer, slightly more concentrated but no less perfumed nose. It’s the scale and depth of flavour that mark this wine out as having a further step in quality. Mobile, complex – beautifully assured wine. Today I’d take the energy of the Lechet (or the 2019 Vaillons!) but this will be gorgeous in 5 years – it’s got some sneakily saline finishing flavour too – yes!

The domaine also has some Bougros but this is being replanted.