Tasted in Beines with Anne and Louis Moreau, 8th January 2015. I had a camera ‘card error’ today so all my portraits were lost!
Domaine Louis Moreau
10, Grande rue
89800 Beines
Tel: +33 3 86 42 87 20
www.louismoreau.com
Anne and Louis on 2013:
“A difficult vintage, but most of the wines have good freshness, even if some are a bit too supple just now. It helps to know your domaines in 2013!
“Overall we are about 30% down in terms of yield; a combination of not great flowering conditions that in-turn developed coulure and so, even less juice. Even at the end of the harvest it was hard with the botrytis.
“Normally you get a good feeling for ripeness development, but the grapes seemed to ‘turn’ almost overnight, which was a bit scary!”
The wines…
Not always the most dynamic wines here, but wines with a real, silky feel of minerality rather than a typical ‘2013 ripe fruit.’ ‘I’m pretty sure these will gradually become ever-more classic in bottle.
2013 Petit Chablis
Round and modestly ripe. Round in the mouth too – fresh and expressive with good weight in the mid-palate. Actually I might like a little more cut but it finishes well, indeed very well.
The nose has some nice citrus reflections. Lovely in the mouth; mineral, silky and slightly padded. Very yum.
2013 Chablis 1er Les Fourneaux
Will be bottled in 2 weeks
A floral dimension to the nose; ripe but still fresh. Quite large-scaled, clearly mineral and almost with sucrosity to the acidity. Quite big in the finish, very tasty weight of flavour. Yum!
2013 Chablis 1er Vaillons
Wider and fresher aromas, more discreet but nicely detailed. Round in the mouth a little more density but with fine detail and complexity. Really super length that’s a little saline. A wine of finesse.
2013 Chablis 1er Vaulignot
Round and deep with a charming core of discreet complexity. Extra freshness and minerality in the mouth – it rolls around the tongue more easily and effortlessly. Good finish again – more intense, less complex than the Vaillons – again, very nice…
2013 Chablis Les Clos
100% tank elevage.
A depth of ripeness with a classic salty seashore note above. Super over the tongue. There’s a little plump texture but this is a wine of minerality not fruit, and one that really widens on the finishing palate. Very good.
Fermentation and elevage in 500 litre barrels – 2, 3 and 4 year-old barrels.
Pear and pepper aromas with super-discreet wood – really nice. Rounder in the mouth, super-silky, with quite some power and a flavor of growing ripeness, with fine salinity in the finish too. Excellent!