Tasted in Milly with Vincent Dampt (last year Sébastien), 12 January 2016.
Domaines Daniel, Sébastien and Vincent Dampt
1 Chemin des Violettes
89800 Milly
Tel: +33 3 86 42 47 23
www.sebastien-dampt.com
The grandfather of Vincent had begun a domaine with his own vines plus those that came with his wife – a Defaix; today Daniel, the father, has 21 hectares, but he’s equipped his sons, Sébastien and Vincent, with 7 hectares each. Whilst these are three separate domaines, they are all based here at the same address. About 80% of the family’s vines are in and around Milly, ranging from Petit Chablis to a range of 1er Crus. Sébastien and Vincent have also added a little négoce operation which allows them to produce some Grand Crus – the only wines of the family with some oak elevage, using 3 year-old barrels from the Côte de Beaune.
The ‘Vignobles Dampt‘ in Collan are cousins.
As last year, my appointment was for ‘Domaine Sébastien Dampt’ – but I took in the wines of all three domaines, not to mention the occasional négoce bottle! Each domaine is noted for each wine.
Vincent on 2014:
“It’s a vintage that I like very much because it’s very typical of Chablis, with minerality, freshness and balance – direct flavoured. We had a difficult flowering as the weekend it started was so hot that there was a lot of coulure. July and August was not good weather and the grapes were really hard to taste at that time. We started harvesting the 15 September with Côte de Léchet and Les Lys, continuing for about 12 days. I think the malolactics did a good job of rounding out the acidity. We also prolonged the elevage a little to keep the acidity in check. 14 for us is a great success – we needed the opposite approach, almost, for the 2015s!”
Vincent on 2015:
“Those with higher yields on younger vines weren’t really ready to harvest when it hailed, currently it reminds of 2006, but the Petit Chablis should be very interesting. Maybe some people actually harvested a little late, because some of the ‘early harvested’ grapes (due to hail) had a more interesting balance – at least analytically.”
The wines…
Sébastien and father Daniel were in London to present the new vintage, whilst Vincent finished a few chores (including me!) before joining them in the UK.
All different, all very tasty. I wouldn’t look for any particular overlying theme per domaine in this vintage, though I thought it easy to see with the 13s (Sebastian – fresh, detailed and complex. Vincent – more direct flavours. Daniel – with just a little more roundness).
DIAM + screwcap for the basic wines. Sébastien is trying out DIAM for 1ers from 2014.
2014 Domaine Daniel Dampt, Chablis
An assembly of multiple parcels, including many with old vines. From Feys, 1st vintage 2009. Petit Chablis is small part of the domaine here.
A wide and mineral nose. Nice texture, some richness here, a little herb, long finishing flavour. This is a very interesting wine, not aggressive a little rich in texture but with herbs from the kitchen – different and I like it very much.
2014 Domaine Vincent Dampt, Petit Chablis
From Bienes, the plateau above Beauroy, above the villages vines, which are themselves above 1er Cru Troesmes.
Also a faint herb here, but also a nice lemon fruit. Nicely textured, a little less rich, mouth-watering, lovely flavour that extends into a more obvious minerality with a softer sweet coating. Lovely.
2014 Domaine Sebastien Dampt, Petit Chablis Terroir de Milly
From Milly, from the end of the Vaillons valley, only 5 metres away are villages vines and the 1er crus less than 100 metres away.
A faint pyrazine and some herb. All three wines here have a lovely, faintly rich, texture. This has a herby flavour style but like the wine of Vincent has a little more sweetness in the finish. Also good.
2014 Domaine Daniel Dampt, Chablis
3 origins of vines, each with different ages. Also multiple bottlings from March to November. All these from November bottlings.
A fine mineral and lemon nose. Wide, fresh and intense, a little lemon fruit and a really lovely mouth-watering finish – yum!
2014 Domaine Vincent Dampt, Chablis
70% from vines of more than 40 year-old.
Fine, mineral nose, discreet but inviting. Supple, mouth-watering, flowing flavour over the palate. This is super-classic and then melts into a pretty and modest complexity through the finish. Persistent too. Very yum!
From 5 parcels of vines, the main one near Lys, totaling 5 hectares – but the Lys parcel has 45 yo vines – the older vines provide more ripeness, but the young vines complete the wine with more freshness.
A nice, slightly vibrant nose where the minerality is tempered with a little sweet lemon. Wide and energetic, then a burst of mid-palate flavour. I like this a lot.
All the 1ers were bottled between June and July, 2015.
All from Fourchaume and from 4 separate old vine plots. ‘Always the roundest and easiest to appreciate young.’
A little more weight of minerality, almost textured impression to the nose. Round but with a little salinity and nice energy. A lovely burst of flavour from this wine – lots of finishing complexity – really lovely!
2014 Domaine Daniel Dampt, Chablis 1er Vaillons
An assembly of multiple parcels in Lys and Sechets. From 3 different areas.
Not so deep but there’s a good width of aroma, slowly adding fresh but mineral top notes. Round, more weight and richness of flavour – fine balance – wider and more insistent in the mid-palate into the finish. Almost a little reprise of flavour in the finish too. Yum!
2014 Sébastien Dampt, Chablis 1er Les Vaillons
50 year-old vines from one parcel in Beignons.
A deeper more ‘present’ nose – some minerality and citrus but imposing. Big, round, richness of flavour again – a big wine this one. Lovely mouth-watering flavour with a fine long line in the finish. Tasty!
2014 Domaine Vincent Dampt, Chablis 1er Vaillons
Young vines planted in 2005.
The cleanest, freshest nose – very inviting – lemon fruit and nice precision. The most direct, least padded but there is a lovely flow of flavour here taking you slowly, slowly into the finish. This is lovely and very different in shape.
From the oldest parcel of vines in Les Lys – and the only one exposed north. 60 year-old vines directly on the hill above the winery.
A delicate nose – complex but discreet. Ooh – this is a beautiful, very mineral wine that bubbles with flavour complexity. Starting direct getting ever-wider and impressive – really a beauty!
2014 Domaine Sebastien Dampt, Chablis 1er Beugnons
A cuvée of 2,100 wax-topped bottles whose elevage was in a concrete ‘egg-shaped’ tank with built-in thermo-regulation. All harvested the same day as the rest of Sébsatien’s Vaillons.
Wide, faintly saline, an element of discretion but certainly inviting. A very nice texture; a certain more direct intensity, and a more obvious salinity. Lovely finishing wine really persistent. Excellent.
2014 Domaine Daniel Dampt, Chablis 1er Cote de Lechet
An assembly of 3 parcels, all planted by the grandfather, vines that were too large yielding when young, but now at 50 years-old, there is a good balance.
Wide and with a nice freshness – this is lovely, almost an impression of florality too. A little richness of flavour here, good texture and fine balance, nice waves of flavour too – this is lovely stuff, particularly the finish.
2014 Domaine Sebastien Dampt, Chablis 1er Cote de Lechet
From a single parcel of 50 year-old vines. Quite low yielding – both brothers have 0.80ha single parcels.
Wide but relatively discreet nose of pretty citrus references and a more implied almost lime depth. Big, mouth-watering flavour – super intensity and mouth-watering flavour – a river of citrus notes. There could be a similar richness to the last but it is cut with such an acidity that it’s hard to be sure. But I am sure that it tastes excellent!
2014 Domaine Vincent Dampt, Chablis 1er Cote de Lechet
“The historic 1er of Milly.” 2 bottlngs, this is the last.
Open, complex and freshly inviting nose. Supple, lovely silky texture. Here is a finely mouth-watering citrus-led wine with a certain steeliness in the finish – minerality if you prefer.
Three Lechets, all intense, all different and none with any aggression to their intensity. Bravo!
With fermentation and malo in barrel, 4-6 years old barrels, the next two grand crus were both bottled in November.
2014 Maison Dampt Chablis Bougros
Deep, citrusy, some vanilla oak but not excessive. Big in the mouth a richness of flavour more than texture – concentrated, much more oaky, but lovely, finishing flavours. Fine but to wait for.
Same vinification, vines right from the middle of the appellation.
Also some obvious oak notes, but a width of aroma too adding some freshness. Big wine, but mineral, super-silky, also super complex and with a bubbling, modestly energetic, impression – the complexity almost giving the impression of little bubbles. Also a little too oaky today for me but really a wine that will wow in 3-5 years – if the oak fades – as it already has with the 2012. Bravo!