Tasted in Chablis with Eleni Vocoret, 08 January 2019.
Domaine Eleni & Edouard Vocoret
19 Rue de Chichée
89800 Chablis
Tel. + 33 6 07 02 29 85
www.vocoret.fr
Eleni on 2018:
“I’ve got to admit, I wasn’t much in the vines last year – that’s having a baby for you! But it seems to have gone well! Almost nobody remembers such quantity but also combined with quality – the grapes were beautiful – there was almost nothing to triage. We might have started harvesting early, but with grapes of 12-12.5°. I like the balance, and the fermentations have gone well – they are always long here so there’s no change there. It’s the first vintage since we began the domaine with a proper rendement – in fact we were completely full! We also had enough grapes to make a small late harvest wine.”
Eleni on 2017:
“In 2017 we were 3/4 frosted. Chapelots which is 2/3rd of the domaine lost over 80% – the worst of Chapelots still had nothing green in May. We did everything by hand, the first time. But the quality looks great, the analytics read like from a book – something to look forward to. One cuvee which was previously sold in bulk is being kept so there is a little more wine than it first sounds! They will be in barrel until March”
Vines waiting to be planted were waiting outside the cuverie – but Eleni said that the ground was currently too wet for planting. I asked why the cuttings had red wax to protect the graft when she was making white wine(!) Not taking the bait, she told me that they were massale selections from a nursery in Alsace – ‘and they use red for the massale vines.‘
The wines…
Delicious or great – often both together has been my experience with this domaine – it is reinforced with these 2017s.
2017 Chablis En Boucheron
This is the parcel that has previously been sold at harvest time – retained in 2017
Hmm – this is deeply flavoured – a certain richness – but with salinity attached that keeps this beautifully balanced. Fine length – delicious wine.
2017 Chablis Les Pargues
Didn’t have in 2016 as was all lost to the frost.
Hmm – a tighter nose, fresher though. More vibrant, certainly more mineral. Melting, layers of great finishing flavour – also with a certain richness, but also with a fine width of balancing acidity. Delicious finishing – Excellent wine!
80% lost to frost in 2017!
A vibration of minerality. More gas hence a bit more apparent energy. But wide, mineral, a little richness again, but still with a lovely balance. These are all delicious, similar but still different! Hmm extra tasty length that differentiates here.
A massalle selection that are 60 years old.
A more intense nose, vibrating… Larger scaled, more mineral again, mouth-filling, beautifully textured and just deliciously flavoured. Gorgeous wine! A great wine!