Tasted in Beines with Françoise Michaut – mother of Adrien, wife of Bernard – 10 January 2018.
Domaine de La Motte
41 rue du Ruisseau
89800 Beine
Tel: + 33 3 86 42 49 61
www.chablis-michaut.fr
Françoise on the recent vintages:
“2017 was a small harvest – we make the aspersion here, water sprays against the frost – but there was a lot of air currents at the time, wind if you prefer, and because of that the sprays were not very accurate so essentially less effective versus normal.
“In the end about one-third of our production was lost – typically we aim for 60 hl/ha but achieved 40. That’s a similar volume of harvest to 2016, which wasn’t too badly touched by the frost.
“But I have to say that the quality of the 2017s looks great – visually – it’s too early to discuss the wines in any detail of-course. And the 2016s? They are very different to the 2015s – though everyone seems to like the 2015s.”
The wines…
All DIAM5 since 2013. Françoise smiles and says since then ‘Nothing is returned to the domaine – Vive la tranquilité!‘
A great line-up of wines of simply beautiful transparency – the entry wines being particularly impressive in 2016. Definitely worth your time!
All the vines of the domaine are around Beines – these from the plateau at the top.
A nice width of fresh, faintly herby but fine and detailed. Round but bright – again detailed. A suggestion of more mineral austerity in the end – only a suggestion – but this is great, citrussy, delicious stuff. Bravo!
A more mineral depth, perfectly fresh, saline – Chablis captured! A suggestion of gas still in this one – much wider and active over the palate – the gas blurring a little the purity – but it comes – this is really excellent again – one of the best finishing wines of my trip (for the label) – so long and wide – bravo again!
2016 Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
40-60 year-old vines, some of the oldest vines today in Beines. Here with some (10%) barrel and demi-muids for elevage.
Beautiful, finer, pure and transparent wine – a great invitation. Wide, no gas, the oak filling all the little deviations, smoothing the skin of the wine – slowly leaching more flavour. This is the best seller at the domaine but I have a small preference for the unadulterated purity of the last.
2016 Chablis 1er Vaulignau
A finer nose again, less impact but growing in complexity and interest all the time. Extra width, no extra padding, really an insinuating flavour that’s wide, melting and delicious. Small waves of finishing flavour. A wine that’s not overtly more concentrated but there’s more complexity and more of everything to find – really super – really…
2016 Chablis 1er Beauroy
Here there’s a really extra depth of aroma from more golden fruit. Super wide, a little extra ounce of textural richness – melting, mouth-watering, over the palate. Absolutely delicious wine almost a little toffee within the ripe fruit – but nothing detrimental – just extra complexity. Fresh and long….