Tasted in Poinchy with Laurent Tribut, 04 January 2018.
Domaine Laurent Tribut
15, rue de Poinchy
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 41 46 22
Laurent on 2017:
“2017 was, of-course, frosted at the start but it was good. We harvested a little less than in 2016 – we had 40 hl/ha in 2016 but still managed 35 hl/ha in 2017. It was only the frost in 2017 – some vines didn’t look frosted but in the end there was only 0-2 clusters of grapes in some places. But that’s Nature and we work with it. It was so much easier work in 2017 than in 2016 – we had everything in that vintage; hail, frost and other maladies – but only the frost in 2017.”
Laurent on 2016:
“I did okay. There was a little frost in Beauroy and Côte de Lechet. For the mildew we were well prepared, my three children work with me and I told them that it was important not to wait, one day later would have been too late vs the mildew.”
The wines…
A first-class address for 2016s with a very classic style – hardly any extra ripeness here, but great tension and beautifully attractive and complex flavour.
2016 Chablis
As usual, did a small bottling in September but planning to do the most part probably in April – ‘I don’t see a big difference between the two bottlings, both have the same amount of time in barrel, it’s just more or less time in tank and that’s inert.
A bright nose with some subtle vibration of reduction. In the mouth too, but this is classically beautiful Chablis – fresh wine of complexity – this is a little beauty.
2016 Chablis 1er Cote de Léchets
A little fewer top notes but more width of deeper aroma. A little more depth of flavour with a matching texture. Complex a little saline, pretty waves of finishing flavour. Long, long delicious wine.
‘Similar terroir but a bit more argilles blanches. Otherwise its the same exposure, 400 metres as the crow flies.’
A little vibration of reduction here again, almost a petrolly minerality. Ooh, that’s fabulous, complex fresh, energetic – great mouth-watering sweetly acidic wine. This is my favourite wine of the trip so far – the end of day two!
‘Actually its Forêts but I didn’t want confusion with the similar label of Vincent Dauvissat.’
Perhaps a suggestion of extra width, bit today the nose is like that of the last. Hmm, a more central core of flavour, otherwise it’s the twin of the last wine with lots of delicious, mouth-watering action, just very faintly more seriously structured.