Tasted in Beines with Anne and Louis Moreau, and wine-maker Eric Steinger, 07 January 2016.
Domaine Louis Moreau
10, Grande rue
89800 Beines
Tel: +33 3 86 42 87 20
www.louismoreau.com
Anne and Louis on 2015:
“2015 was really a small catastrophe, our Blanchots was lost – okay there are 600 bottles but not for commercialising. But the accompanying rain did help the vines that had become too dry.”
Anne and Louis on 2014:
“2014 delivered a good quantity – certainly compared to 2013. There’s a nice acidity and roundness – we find this a very balanced vintage and one that’s really representative of Chablis – it’s a good vintage. We had nice clean grapes that needed almost no triage.”
The wines…
50k bottles of Petit Chablis here using a high percentage of screw-caps. Across the rest of the range, they are now using DIAMs; 3, 5 and 10 and have, so-far, seen very good consistency. A super selection here this year, really in-line with the excellence of the vintage.
In bottle since the middle of last year.
A pretty, floral and citrus nose – lovely. Super mouth-watering and tasty – really like a good Chablis villages. A nice, modest sweet agrume flavour that is nicely persistence.
2014 Chablis
Represents about 25 hectares, so multiple bottlings every 6 weeks or so. 5 ha of older vines near Fleys, the rest from around Beines.
More subtle, fresh aromatic. I’m surprised by the weight here, a certain richness of texture, but lovely mouth-watering width and subtle complexity. Excellent concentration.
2014 Chablis 1er Les Fourneaux
True Fourneaux this in tank, racked once. Manual harvest, cooled to 16°.
Wide and deep, a little saline and iodine. In the mouth, this is lithe and energetic with beautiful intensity of flavour(s) Fine freshness, a more green fruit. Lovely fine wine the mouth super persistence too – yum!
2 hectares at the base/heart of Vaillons, vines about 50 years old. All work made in organic way, uncertified.
Wide, bright, steely, a hint mineral – very inviting. Direct attack, but it’s wide too – lots of agrume here, just a hint more salted as you head into the finish – super!
2014 Chablis 1er Vaulignot
This one bottled in October.
Whilst there’s a modest sweetness, here is quite a classic seashore impression. Love! Wide, fine textured, a width of layered flavour. Intense and really super finishing flavour. I love this…/div>
2014 Chablis Blanchots
100% barrel – 500 litre – all at least 5 years old. Probably will bottle February or March depending on taste.
Wide, sweet ripe yellow fruit, freshens with air. Extra intensity, bright fresh, sweet agrume, then a little salinity, then an accent of wood. Everything to a timetable! Lovely wine!
2013 Chablis Les Clos
All in tank elevage. Also to be bottled in Feb/March…
A narrow but deep yet also complex fresh nose, almost iodine. Weight but lithe across the palate, intense and changing. Always an agrume impression followed by salinity. A faint accent of reduction, then a another burst of flavour after swallowing – the first. Another super wine!
100% tank elevage.
A pretty floral perfume followed by a line of lemon. Bigger, rounder, but beautiful round sweetness, a more elegant perhaps delicate wine than the previous two, but gorgeous flavour. I think this is my favourite so far. Also a very subtle reduction in the mid-palate flavours – but beautiful finishing flavours. Perfectly proportioned…