Christian Moreau – 2015

1.2.2017billn

Tasted in Chablis with Fabien Moreau, 09 January 2017.

Domaine Christian Moreau Père & Fils
26 avenue d’Oberwesel
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 86 34
www.domainechristianmoreau.com

Fabien on 2016:
We harvested almost nothing from our Chablis villages on 2016 – and that’s from 6 hectares. Our last real full vintage was 2011; 2012 was not bad, but the yields have been low since. The mildew was like in the books this year – most people stopped organics to cope, only 1 organic producer remained in the grand crus in 2016 (Fabien being very discreet – that was him!). It was a well-timed harvest too – only 2 days after we finished harvesting, we had a frost! Still, it was good for getting rid of most of the fruit flies!

“So the 1ers and GCs were near enough 50% losses. We bought 6 hectares worth in grapes in the last years, but also nothing in 2016 – given the prices of bulk it would have been just turning over money – no profit.

Fabien on 2015:
“2015 started earlier than expected! 4-5 days early was the hail in Clos and Blanchots – the Vaillons valley was hardly touched – Blanchots was bad as was the Clos des Hospices. We began our harvest 48 hours later – then we stopped for 4 days, waiting for the vines that hadn’t been hailed. Vaillons’ grapes almost doubled in size after the rain, the acidity went down but it was beneficial for ripening. The parcels were very heterogeneous this year. Overall, less acidity in 15 vs 14. In terms of power I think of 2009 as being similar.

Many of the 2015s were bottled just before the harvest, though a couple are still waiting their turn – which will probably come in about February. We havent changed our bottling very much, Blanchots and Vaudesir are sooner than usual, but only because we lost of 50% of Blanchots. Vaudesir only lost about 15% but we have our youngest vines here and they really suffered in the dryness of August. The hail didn’t help but really it was the heat that was mas the biggest factor.

“We lost the middle of Les Clos to the hail – about 30% of the total. The Clos des Hospices at the bottom of the hill was 50% lost. Fortunately it stayed cool after the hail – it was a big storm and only about 10 minutes of that brought hail – but it hailed at about 2am when many could miss it. We have many big valleys that were opened up by the rush of water between the vines, the rain washing solid material down the hill – there was at least 20 cm of soil at the bottom of the hillside to slowly carry back up!”

The wines…

100% DIAM since 2009 for (villages) Chablis, use across the rest of the range is slowly growing. DIAM5 for the Chablis and DIAM10 for the Vaillons. Always supple wines with a gentle oak, the oak was showing a little more at the time of my visit, but these 2015s will surely consume it quite quickly…

2015 Chablis
Represents 1.5 hectares of produce.
Hmm. A little minerality and a welcoming, inviting yellow fruit. Wide, very fine texture, with just a hint of fat, yet the freshness and intensity are exemplary. Really a fine weight of finishing flavour not too much rigour, just a very tasty glass – more green fruited in the finish.

2015 Chablis 1er Vaillons
There are 6 parcels of Vaillons here, and this is an assembly of 5 of them. Bottled just after the harvest in September.
Pretty, almost minty complexity, a suggestion of oak too. Som gas, a base of good textured depth, a little oak in the mix today. Very tasty wine again.

2015 Chablis 1er Vaillons Cuvée Guy Moreau
Vines that are 80 years old – the ‘sixth’ parcel of Vaillons. There’s not much difference in the elevage between these two, except that some of the barrels are a little younger in this latter wine. The oldest vines planted by grandfather in 1933, a longer elevage and just a few newer barrels – 20% wood elevage.
Also some oak here, freshness too. Like the last, faint gas, but the line is narrower it’s a more linear and mineral wine. It will need time for the oak to fade, but in its style its a brilliant wine.

2015 Chablis Vaudesir
100% barrel elevage in this vintage, none new.
Fresher, cleaner less overtly oaked aromas. A fresh line of mineral flavour again – like the last with an extra twist of intensity. Super minerality

2015 Chablis Blanchots
Quite a high parcel. Just 1.5 barrels in 2015, 1 in 2016 a normal vintage would be 2.5…
Deep, fresh, almost creamy oaked. Hmm, super texture and really wide mineral, sweetly mineral flavour. This is really excellent – once more not oak-shy, but not excessive either. To wait for, but with anticipation!! A beautiful line of finishing flavour.

2015 Chablis Valmur
A little more green fruit and herb, and mint again. A little gas, really a superb, fresh, lithe wine – great intensity, modest salinity. Just a great thing here with fine lime notes in the mid-palate. Bravo! Not a wine of obvious oak vs the others…

2015 Chablis Le Clos
A wide nose, less obviously overt and deep. Mineral, complex, fine bubbling energy and complexity. Today a little behind the Valmur in being ‘together’ but plenty of everything. Mineral and needing a little more time – but it seems to have everything…

2015 Chablis Le Clos des Hospices
Hmm, deep, vibrant and interesting – very different from the straight Clos with just a little toasty reduction. In the mouth, intense, more of a tight ball of concentration, really a wine that will need time to unwind, but the flavours are nicely open in the long finish. Always couched in minerality. A little time needed, but really super stuff. Yum!

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