Louis Moreau – 2016

22.1.2018billn

Tasted in Beines with Benoît Bertrandy, Louis and Anne Moreau with Eric Steinger and 10 January 2018.

Domaine Louis Moreau
10, Grande rue
89800 Beines
Tel: +33 3 86 42 87 20
www.louismoreau.com

Anne and Louis on 2017:
In 2017 there was fortunatley more wine. We lost lots in 2016 with many places close to zero yield – so globally for us it was much better in 2017 – we produced practically double – still about 15% less than optimal – but the right bank was a really good surprise for us.

Anne and Louis on 2016:
“Beine was really the corridor between hail and frost, because of that, the volume here was not bad as in in some places – Viviers nearby did only 10hl/ha. We waited long for the maturity but when it came, it was necessary to harvest very quickly. As for the wines, 2016 seems a nice compromise between 2014 and 2015 – a generous vintage in style if not quantity – and behing that, 2017 look very fine.

The wines…

50k bottles of Petit Chablis here using a high percentage of screw-caps. Across the rest of the range, they are now using DIAMs; 3, 5 and 10. All the grands crus are still in tank, the rest are all bottled.

Understated yet at the same time beautiful wines at the domaine this year – virtually no austerity, just incredibly delicious – classic wines but without rigour. Super wines…

2016 Petit Chablis
Screw-cap. The major part is Beines towards Lignorelles on the plateau. Some above Les Clos too but that’s the smaller part.
A pretty nose – open flashes of fresh fruit. Large-scaled in the mouth, a suggestion of richness – full of fruit, melting, modest freshness and minerality in the finsh. Really great for the label.

2016 Chablis
Usually about 25 hectares worth of vines. 80% from around Beines, the rest from the communes of Fleys and Chablis
A width of ripe lemon. A wine that opens out over the palate – melting, fresh, delicious lovely wine. Almost less imposing than the PC this year but still lovely.

2016 Domaine de Bieville, Chablis
From Viviers. In the family since the 70s. South facing, on the plateau, not planted for a long time, pure Kimmerigian terroir – 10 hl/ha in 2016.
A rounder, fresh, white flower, faintly saline nose. A little fuller, nicely round, really fine and precise, long. Another level after the last. Excellent – I love the slowly changing finishing flavour.

2016 Chablis 1er Vaulignot
Back to Beine, more north, north-east facing Bottled in December
A little tightness of aroma, but pretty yellow citrus notes. A hint of gas but really a direct, mineral beautiful classic wine of tension – top! – love this. Then a little melting anecdote of flavour in the finish.

2016 Chablis 1er Les Fourneaux
True Fourneaux. Bottled end October, beginning November.
The nose a little more open – a clearer freshness and underneath a tight but visible minerality. Larger in the mouth, more mineral, a little more rigour – wait for this while drinking the former.

2016 Chablis 1er Vaillons
2 hectares at the base/heart of Vaillons, vines now 55 years old. All work made in organic way, uncertified.
A modest intensity nose but a really beautiful combination of almost agrume fruit and mineral at the base. Fills the mouth – pure, mandarin, complex, beautifully intense. Long and mineral. Really excellent! Bravo.

2016 Chablis Blanchot
A much more overt nose – a core of ripe almost pear fruit, white fleshed fruit. Mouth-filling, a little more richness of flavour but beautifully balanced with a fine halo of fresh acidty. This is absolutely delicious in the finish – Love! Hard pressed to find any oak here.

2016 Chablis Les Clos
Only with tank elevage.
A width of aroma – some concentration too – fresh but ripe fruited. Directly more overtly mineral, quite some power here – like the last a halo of freshness but really a wine that can be described as elegant – just a touch of finishing rigour but small waves of radiating finishing flavour.

2016 Chablis Clos des Hospices
A move overt and vibrant nose. In the mouth too – there is a little more power and certainly more energy – an intensity of really fabulous flavour. A step up this vintage – really great wine.

2016 Chablis Valmur
A depth of aroma – almost vibrant, certainly mineral – lovely – eventually a touch of oak. Vibrantly fresh and mineral, super width of flavour – more airy – fine agrume in the finish, eventually a slowly melting flavour in the finish. Excellent…

2016 Chablis Vaudesir
Another that’s not showing particularly wide aromas, yet has a very fine and mineral depth – here with fine precision. A little more up-front intensity, slowly melting orange/grapefruit-zested flavour over the palate – long with small waves of finishing flavour. This is really, really great.

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