Tasted in Beines with Florent Dauvissat, 17 January 2017.
Domaine Agnes et Didier Dauvissat
Chemin de Beauroy
89800 Beines
Tel: + 33 3 86 42 46 40
www.domainedauvissat.fr
Florent on 2016:
“The domaine is half in Beine half in Fleys. In general, first hail didn’t have much effect, we had frost in Fye but it’s not the biggest surface. The second hail hit a Parcel in Courgis, here almost 60% lost. Then came the mildew, which was quite bad in the Petit Chablis. In the end we lost more from the mildew – and some grilled grapes – than the frost and hail. In the end our losses were about 1/3. But the result of the harvest is good, fortunately. We are happy with the maturity and the wines are Looking good.”
Florent on 2015:
“2015 was a normal harvest. It’s a good vintage, certainly a warm summer, and there was the hail that touched all our vines in Fye. But didn’t precipitate the harvest in general. The wines are quite easy to drink vs last year but are pure Chablis. All are bottled, the last just after the harvest to make space!”
Their markets are developing well, having historically sold about half their production in bulk, but each year they add some new markets and increase the share that they bottle.
The wines…
There are some DIAM equivalents at the base of the range here, ‘natural’ cork for the rest, but it seems that ‘DIAM’ use is expanding here.
Overall, these are tasty wines, but the aromas were sullen and un-interesting the day I visited. The other vintages showed fine, so I’d give them the benefit if the doubt.
2015 Petit Chablis
An assembly of parcels, in plateau of Beines, near Vauligneau and above the grand crus.
Wide, clear green herb width. In the mouth this is fine, fresh, and with insinuating acidity. Actually quite delicious mouth-watering flavour in the finish. A little saline and perfumed in the finish. The nose needs work, but the palate is absolutely lovely – indeed delicious.
2015 Chablis
3.5 hectares and some more just planted totaling 4.5ha. Vines mainly around Fyé. All elevage in stainless-steel
Deeper, some minerality, a little limed sweetness. Hmm, very lime in style in the mouth too, but not with austerity, rather a freshness, salinity and a very nice width. A good texture and a good wine – very tasty in the finish. Actually really tasty in the finish – this is the best part – lovely!
2015 Chablis 1er Beauroy
2 hectares of vines in a single parcel.
A faint green highlight to the colour. Wide and vibrant with a hint of mustiness – so far none of these aromas have been the finest, but in the mouth super: the nose slowly opening, it remains a core of ripe lime, a little hard, but salted and still interesting. Wide, fresh, vibrant, super, mineral, really lots and lots of action. A hint floral before the finish too. Really lots of fun here, yum!
2015 Chablis le Petit Vigneronne
A parcel in Courgis .50 ha, harvested by hand with a vinification that has one-third in-barrel elevage of about 5 years-old barrels.
Also a tight nose, a little modest citrus. In the mouth, wide, fresh, really nice minerality and flavour. Really my favourite wine so far – no oak obvious today either!
Much more open and interesting nose, of freshness and good fruit. Direct, a super line of flavour. Oof this has presence and intensity, a little saline encrusted. Super!
2015 Chablis 1er Beauroy Eléve en Fût de Chêne
100% barrel elevage – as the name!
Like all the 15s here, the aromatic is quite attenuated, but there is a modest green fruit trying to escape the glass. Wide, supple, fine energy nd growing intensity. The oak is present though clearly fading – it’s not really the most important part of the wine. But fresh, saline and delicious flavours are. Super.
2014 Chablis 1er Beauroy Eléve en Fût de Chêne
Tight but fine nose, as is the style here, more in the direction of lime fruit. Really direct, linear wine. Slowly mouth-watering, well textured and a present oak, almost a little creamy. This is more transparent and direct, so maybe it’s for this reason that the oak shows a little more, but a super wine, even if I prefer the integration of the 15 today!
And from 2 already opened magnums:
2013 Chablis 1er Beauroy
A little more depth of yellow colour. Wide, some texture. Sweetness of aroma, a little more exotic fruit. Good volume in the mouth, tasty wine with good layers of fresh ripe flavour. Nicely exotic, nicely 2013, with a good finishing line.
2012 Chablis 1er Beauroy
Fresh open, fine, a core of ripe fruit surrounded by freshness – an island. Full, a waterfall, of flavour and acidity, a little herb in the flavour but really a super density with also a clarity of flavour. Long in a manner not unlike 15… excellent.