Tasted with Marie Bordier in Fleys, 17 January 2019.

Domaine de la Meulière
18, route de Mont de Milieu
89800 Fleys
Tel: +33 3 86 42 13 56
www.chablis-meuliere.com

Marie on 2018:
“2018 – good! We’re very satisfied, we didn’t think we had the juice – the surprise was that we did! We started our harvest 10 September – in nice weather with a good team – everyone was happy. Near Cravant, behind Irancy have a Bourgogne blanc for the first time in 2018, more than 2 hectares in a clos and it’s vinified like a Chablis. There’s Irancy too for 2018 – not 100% pinot but mainly.”

Marie on 2017:
“Harvesting began on exactly the same day as in 2018. 2017 is good! It’s rare to say in Chablis but we had no damage – there was frost, of-course, but we battled it well and it all worked out well, so it was a complete harvest here – we were lucky to end up with wines with a good acidity and an agrume style of fruit!”

The wines…

Nice to take a look back at some great 2016s – and that was certainly my first (great) Chablis Orgasme…

There is not much here that’s bottled from 2017 at this stage, and the domaine likes to show the bottled wines, so:

2017 Chablis
A nose that’s a little tight, though faintly saline. Good volume in the mouth and with a nice salinity – perfumed finishing but with just a touch of rigour – give this six months but the flavours are fine.

2016 Chablis La Vigne au Songe
A nice width of aroma – tightish though. Ooh – that’s a lovely width, fine texture – more lime fruit but with an exotic character – a more mineral impression – very different.

2016 Chablis 1er Les Fourneau
A similar aromatic to the last but with a little extra finesse. More vibrant, great texture again, layers of mouth-watering flavour, just a merest touch of salinity, but more in the finish – extra long.

2016 Chablis 1er Vaucoupins
Also a tighter nose, faintly reductive. Ooh here is zip and minerality – classic, deeply mineral, layers of mouth-watering, juicy flavour – a touch of mineral rigour – this is excellent.

2016 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
Didn’t have the right size tank for the half harvest, so this year it got 8 months in barrel!
Fine, fresh, spiced, a very discreet nose. Drive, zip, line, slowly melting over the palate, like all these 16s less about fruit, more about depth of minerality. The oak comes in the finish but it’s fading well I think. Give this time – another 2 years – but it will be worth it!

2017 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
Fresh, yellow fruit – more energy and attractiveness of fruit. Big, mouth-filling, less dense vs the 2016s – an open complexity but deliciously fruited.

2014 Chablis Larmes de l’Oubli
3 year elevage in barrel. Bottled at the start of 2018
Sweet oak, perhaps even a little vibration of reduction. Geographically the nose gives nothing away – it’s oaky – but the palate is very sleek – I would certainly say Chablis, the texture is excellent – so is the width – I would guess a 1er cru – the flavour certainly has sweet oaky inflections but it is a wine of minerality. Really interesting – and drinkable!