Tasted in Milly with Sebastien and Vincent Dampt, 08 January 2018.
Domaines Daniel, Sébastien and Vincent Dampt
1 Chemin des Violettes
89800 Milly
Tel: +33 3 86 42 47 23
www.sebastien-dampt.com
2016 Notes on ‘Vignobles Dampt’ in Collan, who are cousins, can be found here.
On 2017:
“2017 was 25% down, we protected more areas than in 2016 – we had to light the candles 6 times – it costs, but we’re happy with the result. In fact we ran out of candles in 5 days so needed to use the small stoves from the 1950s – fuel-burning but they were effective. Otherwise it was much less complicated and cleaner in the vines than in 2016.”
On 2016:
“2016 brought just half a harvest, some parcels saw as much as 90% losses due to frost – for instance around the winery and the bottom of Côte de Lechets. In some places we have water sprays as a protection against frost, but they are in places which historically get frost, but in 2016 it was the places that, historically, don’t get frosted that were hit. It was just one night for the frost, but combination of temperature and humidity was very strong. Vaillons was pretty good we had a good harvest there, but it was hard for us in Petit Chablis. The attack of mildew was something that we have never seen so strong in 2016 – even by our grandfather. So in the end it’s a small volume but we are very happy with the quality – and it’s more typical of Chablis than the last vintage.
The wines…
A fine set of wines in 2016 and certainly more to the classic style of Chablis – except for the more oaked cuvées for which, in my opinion, you should wait at least a couple of years.
DIAM + screwcap for the basic wines – all Petit Chablis and villages Chablis, there is also screw-cap for some markets. Sébastien is also trying out DIAM for 1ers since 2014.
2016 Domaine Daniel Dampt, Chablis
Assembly of parcels, 70% for Milly, plus Beine and Fontenay. Bottled in June.
A nice breadth of aroma with a little freshness and some yellow fruit. Supple, melting, fresh flavour with fine concentration and good minerality. Lip-smackingly good – a super start.
2016 Domaine Sebastien Dampt, Chablis
From 5 parcels in Milly totaling 5 hectares. The main parcel near Les Lys with 45-year-old vines – ‘the older vines provide more ripeness, but the young vines complete the wine with more freshness.’ Bottled July.
A little less intense but fine and complex. Lovely silky, lithe, with nicely cushioned minerality – this is directly excellent – lovely wine. A faint austerity to the finishing persistence of flavour – super wine!
Mainly in Charlevots that brings about 50% and another vine just below Fourchaume here with a little more richness and less acidity.
A hint of salty reduction – becoming more and more interesting. More volume in the mouth – really mouth-filling – properly mineral, a little saline, intense and just avoids an impression of rigour. This will already be great in less than 12 months – the most classic if not the most delicious today.
2016 Domaine Daniel Dampt, Chablis 1er Beauroy
0.5 ha, in the climat of Beauroy, just behind the Côte de Lechet, the soil has a very fine white clay that’s hard to work. Sometimes less acidity here but high ripeness – can be an opulent place.
Fresh but also deep and concentrated aromas – a ripeness of yellow fruit at the core, a suggestion of aniseed. Very mineral, a little muscular, layered, mineral. I think this will be really excellent.
2016 Daniel Dampt Chablis 1er Fourchaume
From 4 parcels with a majority of old vines, amounting to 1 ha. one parcel in Vaupulent.
A little extra vibration of minerality, almost a suggestion of agrume – nice. Rounder, silkier texture – a little textural richness, but penetrating, layered, a little saline, with a very good balance if not overt freshness.
2016 Domaine Vincent Dampt, Chablis 1er Vaillons
A mix of 2005 and 2011 vines, part in 2/3 Beugnons, the other 1/3 in Chatains. Bottled start of August
Rather a modest nose, faintly herbed. Wide, a little richness, lots of layered minerality. Layered in the finish too.
2016 Domaine Daniel Dampt, Chablis 1er Vaillons
4 ha, 50% Lys, 25% Chatains, the rest from Sechets. Vines older than 40.
Modest higher tones, below a nicely mineral and wine nose that invites. Lots of fresh, mobile, silky volume in the mouth – this is really excellent, a hint of salinity in the finish.
60 year-old vines in Beugnons in stainless-steel (there’s another cuvee made in an ‘egg.’)
A modest but pretty top note that’s on the mandarin side of agrume – nice. Ooh, a little austerity for sure but such a great intensity and energy here – classic, mineral, edged with a modest comfort, this will be great – but wait!
2016 Domaine Sebastien Dampt, Chablis 1er Beugnons (the egg cuvée)
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.
A lovely freshness of aroma, edged with acidity. Melting, mineral, classic, long, so persistent – this is a slightly more comfortable version of the last wine – super-clean finishing – Super!
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 part goes into his Vaillons, this is the ‘pure Lys’
Oh, wow – a vibrant nose – mineral and a hint agrumed fabulousness! Very wide, a little richness of texture, beautiful line and complexity on accessible minerality. I think this really great – accessible, delicious but complex and classic!
2016 Domaine Daniel Dampt, Chablis 1er Cote de Lechet
An assembly of 4 parcels. Bottled July
A tiny note of biscuity reduction – then it’s gone – now showing a more classic reductive agrume. Extra depth of rich texture, but a beautiful lithe muscle and silk – top minerality with more than enough balancing acidity. This is a beauty.
2016 Domaine Vincent Dampt, Chablis 1er Cote de Lechet
“The historic 1er of Milly.” 2 parcels, 0.80 ha, 1964-68 planting dates.
A little aromatic tightness. There’s no tightness on the palate – a wine that grows and grows in intensity, a modest austerity to this agrume fruit, finishing very saline and very long. This is very fine!
2016 Domaine Sebastien Dampt, Chablis 1er Cote de Lechet
Similar age of vines to the last – 0.7 ha, bottled at the end of October, they have also planted a sub-climate of Lechets in 2017 – 0.3 ha – in Le Chateau 1er ‘it’s so tiny it’s like a garden!’
This has a very nice vibration of attractive minerality. Wide, fresh, absolutely delicious, energetic wine – there is a little richness, but what a wine!
2016 Domaine Vincent Dampt, Chablis 1er Cote de Lechets 350
350 litre barrels that have already done two vintages, wanted to do all in barrel with a longer elevage. Was racked in September and then bottled from stainless-steel in November. A little more than 800 bottles.
A wide nose, a little saline and a little oaked – modest freshness above. Extra sweetness, more direct freshness, plenty of oak but the character and stance of this wine is very impressive indeed. I’d wait two years to start with – so the oak becomes less obvious, but this is very long and very impressive wine. Excellent!
2016 Maison Dampt Chablis Bougros
Also vinification and elevage in barrel but 228 litre this time.
If anything the oak is more present on this nose. But it’s a middle-ground between spicy and vanilla – it’s not 100% from either. Yes extra – more volume in the mouth, more ingraining flavour – oaked but a little less overt in the mouth – perhaps a little oak-tannin in the finish. Definitely to wait for but the finishing complexity is really fabulous.
2014 Maison Dampt Chablis Valmur
Still a suggestion of oak, but really it’s now just a modest accent – a hint of toffee and a guarded depth of minerality. Super volume and intensity – really a super level of complexity here – still too young as the oak is still overt, but this is really quite a wine.