Profile: Domaine Bachelier

3.2.2017billn

Tasted in Chablis with Florence Bachelier, 13 January 2017.

Domaine Bachelier
14 rue de la Gellinotte
89800 Villy
Tel: +33 3 86 47 49 56
www.domaine-bachelier.com

The Domaine Bachelier has been handed down through the family since 1833. They moved to these relatively spacious premises in Villy in 2000. – before that they were housed in the old village high street. Florence explains that they have always sold in both bottle and bulk, though their grandfather was with the Chablisienne. The domaine today covers 19 hectares, principally local to Villy, except for one premier cru in Fleys. They export to the UK, Belgium, US and Switzerland…

The vast majority of their production sees only a stainless-steel elevage, though a few 400 litre barrels are used for particular cuvées. Florence says that the work ‘raisonnée’ in the vines, a use mechanical harvesting.

In 2016 they were less badly affected than some producers, but it was still only half a harvest versus normal – attributed to both, frost and hail.

The wines…

A new address to me, but a great address for basic Chablis.

2015 Petit Chablis
From the commune of Villy
Good, depth and an open weight of aroma – faintly herbed. Round, very silky, super texture – a mineral-led wine with a nice burst of finishing flavour. The finish has a little rigour but is rather good, and is perhaps the nicest part – but good wine.

2015 Chablis
An assembly of many small parcels.
Floral, agrume, freshness – this is a beauty. Hmm, really very much in the agrumes spectrum of fruit – but real fruit, like grapefruit, sweet grapefruit, not reductive. A little hardness of minerality in the finish but this will get better and better. Really delicious – bravo!
2014 Chablis Vieilles Vignes
Also only tank elevage. The domaine is ‘lucky to have plenty of old vines but this is a small cuvée of vines with really the best exposures.’
More width, more mineral and more fresh. Supple, very silky – hmm – fine line and a beautiful mouth-watering and sweetly mineral flavour. Excellent, faintly saline finish. Bravo again!

2014 Chablis 1er Fourneaux
How many hectares, I ask – ‘You mean how many ares!’ was the response. For the record 0.23ha!
Wide and fresh, seemingly a little silky, tighter below, very slightly toasty. A little more supple depth of flavour, a little more structure too, but still a very nice depth of delicious mouth-wateringly sweet and saline flavour. Again, just a delicious wine. Long, really in a more mineral line, but not even a hint austere, just very, very tasty!

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