Tasted in Chichée with Didier Picq, 29th January 2015.
Domaine Gilbert Picq et Fils
3 route de Chablis
89800 Chichée
Tel: +33 3 86 42 18 30+33 3 86 42 18 30
The Picq family have exploited their small parcels for several generations. With father Gilbert having now retired, it his two sons, Didier and Pascal, and his daughter Marilyn who are managing the estate. Pascal runs the vineyards, Didier the cellars and Marilyn the ‘business.’
Depending on the vintage, they have 3 – 6 cuvées, “It depends how disastrous the vintage is!” smiles Didier. The largest part of their production is villages plus 2 1ers – Vosgros and Vaucoupins – working 14 hectares, numbering 20 parcels. 100 % bottled each year. 90,000 bottles roughly, all elevage in tank. The length of elevage is just by ‘feeling.’ They never block malos, everything as natural as possible.
Didier on 2013:
“We finished harvesting on the 8th Oct. – with some porriture ‘noble’. For instance our villages Chablis production can be 60,000 bottles, but we had 40% less in 2013.”
The wines…
A compact but fine range at this address.
2013 Chablis
Can be different bottlings of this depending on when the orders come in. Not possible to bottle all at once. 8 ha represented here.
Pretty, clean, almost soapy squeaky clean. Quite big in the mouth, but with a nice sweetness to the mouth-watering acidity, despite plenty of richness.
2013 Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
About 60-62 years old vines. About 1 hectare but only 27 hl/ha in 2013. Was 40 in 14… Bottled early September.
A very faint reduction, wide, too easy to drink – with some silk and lots of weight of flavour. There is good energy and lots of intense, cushioned complexity. Yum! Nice round, ripe fruit in the finish.
A longer elevage for this 2 hectare plot. Ripens very quickly here, so is usually the first vineyard to be harvested.
A wide, fine, weighty and perfumed nose. Really super energy, perfumed fruit, a hint of richness, fine acidity. This is gorgeous. Bravo!
2013 Chablis 1er Vosgros
Bottled less than. 2 weeks.
Again a faint soapy clean impression but wide and quite fresh aromas. Bigger and with a certain richness to the texture, but also lots of energy and fine focus to multiple notes of complexity. Big and demonstrative in the finish. Very, very good! Fine tension, but less obvious minerality today….
In the hardest part of the vines which is super steep at the bottom of the hill but also direct south-facing. Normally quite floral.
A beautiful nose, indeed quite floral – ‘white flowers’ – it’s not a heavy perfume. Wow this is intense – a certain richness still, but energy and very fine acidity. The weight of other vintages GCs here. Really, really tasty wine! Fine finishing too. Bravo!