Tasted in Chablis with Laurent & Charlene Pinson, 14 January 2021.
Domaine Pinson
5, quai Voltaire
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 10 26
www.domaine-pinson.com
More reports for Domaine Pinson
Charlene on 2019:
“2019 brought a volume similar to 2017: Wines of good structure and balance and a maturity that’s practically more than in 2018. The 2019s have returned to something that’s more representative of the region of Chablis – wines that are not just tasty but also speaking of the terroir of Chablis. We lacked water in the heat of the summer, the veraison a little blocked but there was some rain at the end of August which unlocked things and we started a good harvest the 11th September, but we were nearly 30% down vs 2018 which had the effect of concentrating both the acidity and the sugars – that’s why we feel the acidity more. We’re very happy, we can see the terroirs and you can already enjoy the wines too.”
The wines…
As usual, a range of clarity and precision chez Pinson – some top wines too.
Bottling for the 2019s was just before Christmas – except for the Forets and the GCs:
2019 Charlène and Laurent Pinson, Petit Chablis
From close to Maligny, 5th vintage bought.
That’s got a lovely freshness, depth too. Wide, with a width of citrus accented minerality. Extra-long, some citrus bitters here that I find very attractive. That’s a lovely wine!
Right bank below Mont de Milieu plus one other. About 50 years old vines on average. This and the last bottled in May.
That’s a super nose – really expressive – beautifully juicy citrus fruit on this nose. Depth of flavour, depth of minerality – really a juicy wine – not overly sweet either. Almost vibrantly finishing – great villages.
2019 Chablis Cuvée Mademoiselle
Vines high in the valley of Montée de Tonnerre on white soil. This with the skin contact before pressing, all old barrel elevage, more than 5 years old. Last part of elevage in tank.
Directly more citrus skin on the nose. Very mineral across the palate – ripe fruit, less overtly citrus but the core is of Chablis. The last waves of finishing flavour are reminiscent of the last wine, attractively perfumed and finishing with faintly dry tannin.
Now move from DIAM to Cork..
2019 Chablis 1er Vaillons
Not a strong nose, rather a fine and elegant lemon freshness that grows in the glass. Direct, fresh, super drive and lots of energy here. Extra salinity framing a wide and pure, perfumed finishing citrus.
A small parcel. South-facing, similar soil to Forets. 25-year-old vines.
A fuller nose, a more complete blend of citrus of floral perfume and salinity. Wide like the last, less overtly yellow-fruited with more depth and apparent concentration. A small touch of oaky opulence but what a beautiful finish. This is great!
2019 Chablis 1er Montmains
Right at the end of Montmains (real Montmains) about 150 metres from the Fôrets but same height up on the hill. Argille blanche/bleu less white stone than Fôrets.
A fresher, more saline nose – less forward than Vosgirot. Plenty of depth to this texture, almost a richness. The acidity is present but never overactive. Lots of citrus-skin impressions. Sustaining a very long and quite concentrated finish. Excellent wine…
The vines planted 1955/56, right at the start of Forêts – a very limestone soil. The last bottled, 3 weeks ago.
Very attractive! Deep, with a vibrant citrus skin overlay. In the mouth the most direct, cool-fruited and mineral wine so far. Slowly widening over the palate – great texture – a small resonance of citrus bitters in the finish. Great wine.
Now moving to the right bank:
2019 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
In Vaupoulot just changing the orientation a little, similar to that of the middle of Montée de Tonnerre. Only tank elevage as it usually seems to big with barrel elevage.
A different style of aroma – very pure and fine yellow citrus. Much wider than the Forets but a similar cool fruit and mineral impression. Density of finishing flavour – there’s much concentration here and it stays for a long time on the palate. Super.
2019 Charlene et Laurent Pinson, Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre
This from bought grapes ‘it’s not that we need the volume, but I love to complete a nice range of crus’
Wide, a freshly perfumed nose with an attractive lick of salinity. Very silky, direct, super minerality but always wrapped in this silky texture – practically all the wines here. Hyper-elegant wine, long finishing with the faintest dry accent of citrus and tannin.
2019 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
Biggest parcel of the domaine, 4.5 hectares in two blocks, ‘the big parcel works really well raisonné because there is no neighbourly influence. We like to harvest not too late to keep the direction and purity.’
Deep, a suggestion of reduction to start, growing with fresh floral interest – very pretty. A weight of wide flavour, mineral but still a certain elegance. A vibrant direct line – an energy here – a great finish too. A bigger wine than the hyper-elegant MdT.
2019 Chablis Les Preuses
New here – a contract. This bottled at the same time as the 1ers, close to the harvest.
More density of aroma, riper but beautifully fresh and really, really attractive. Great scale in the mouth – completely mouth-filling but not with density, never too much of anything. The finish wide and long – a small hole in the middle of the finish versus the rest of the wines. But a great debut!
From 4 different parcels, but the total is 2.5 hectares. Various vine ages from 9-46 years. Bottled in December.
A width of super, vibrantly pure aroma – more clarity than Preuses. Here the wine is wide but at the same time direct, this more mouth-watering but a little less opulent and open than the Preuses. Vibrantly more complete in a finish that resonates.
2018 Chablis Les Clos Authentique
After two years of barrel elevage…
A width of aroma, certainly oaked but not flagrantly so. That’s cool-fruited and very wide – ultra-mineral impression. A little tannin in the middle. Long, indeed very long. To wait for to lessen the barrel – though it’s not too strong…