Tasted in Collan with Emmanuel Dampt (right!), 07 January 2019.
Vignoble Dampt Frères
1 Rue de Fleys,
89700 Collan
Tel: +33 3 86 55 29 55
www.dampt.com
Emmanuel on 2018:
“2018 – a vintage with a big surprise – the blend of quantity and quality – but it was very important to pick at the right time. We had satisfactory degrees of maturity at the end of August, so we started the 30th. In one week we’d harvested 60% of the domaine – but it was a vintage where it was important to harvest with the best freshness.”
Emmanuel on 2017:
“2017 – another very nice balance of fruit, flowers and minerals – relatively accessible but with character. Most could already be drunk. There was a small amount of frost but I’d say that the rendements were quite normal. For us it was a relatively calm Chablis vintage but the vintage was harder in the Tonnerrois which was harder hit by frost – we made some wine but only 50%.”
The team also have their first range of Kosher wines – assemblages done directly in the pressoir: Emmanuel hadn’t the right to touch the wines once put in place, so all the actions were done by a delegate of a rabbi in Paris, somebody with the responsibility to manipulate the wines – but only done under the instruction of Emmanuel. One part of the cellar set aside for only these wines – they will be shipped directly to Tel-Aviv.
The wines…
Bravo for the whole range – such absolutely drinkable wines – it seems to me that this address has such an accessible vintage, balanced, elegant but still with character – to drink or keep!
First, some Kosher wines:
Two parcels blended
Good depth of green fruited and sweet aroma. Volume, good concentration – depth of rich but highly attractive fruit. A faint touch of finishing salinity – this is long – bravo!
2017 Petit Chablis Sur Les Clos – Kosher
Above Clos and Valmur
An extra intensity, slightly more yellow fruited – pure and attractive. A little wider, a similar richness with a touch of austerity before fine melting more saline flavour. Super again – excellent PC!
2017 Chablis Tradition – Kosher
Assembly of 4 different parcels
A tighter nose but with very attractive floral top notes. More mineral, more incisive but growing wider and more intense – a delicious range it seems in 2017. Much more saline finishing.
2017 Chablis Brechains – Kosher
Like the previous wines – all tank elevage – no barrel. Only the Côte de Brechains above is 1er cru – the rest, as here, is villages.
Like the villages, a tighter nose – but the depth slowly opens out with pure fruited clarity. More depth and complexity of flavour. Wider, a more layered wine. A hint less energy but that’s the weight of flavour. Excellent!
70 year-old vines – so very old for Chablis
A tight nose but one that liberates very fine floral component. More a wine of line, melting, mineral, adding sucrosity, a little touch of mineral austerity – but not too much – saline finish. Bravo! This will be worth a year or two’s patience!
The Israeli importer had specified natural cork for these bottles, I asked if DIAM was classed as Kosher – ‘I don’t know if DAM would be allowed(?) But there will be grand cru Preuses in 2018 though!’
Now the usual range:
These, like the Kosher range have already been bottled.
A more saline nose. A touch of gas but here is a wide, mouth-filling wine – great volume, fine sucrosity but cut by a balancing mineral side that adds interest. For the price brilliant.
From the vines planted above les Clos
Also saline but cut with more citrus. Wide, layered – slowly mouth-filling – these wines are already just so attractive! Hold a great finish too – again for the price – bravo!
Vines with 40+ years of age. This from Villy – the last the same provenance as the Kosher wine.
Plenty of aromatic depth, tighter above. A touch of gas, Mouth-filling volume. Just a hint more austere but slowly – as seems the case with all here – a sweeter flavour comes through and takes over – very mineral. But concentrated too – richness of texture. Actually my favourite…
2017 Chablis Tradition
The team here have a ‘presence’ in 15 of the 20 villages that can use the Chablis label.
Another glass that needs to be worked but then liberates a lovely blend of the floral and mineral. A nice accent of the ‘strict’ mineral, fine clarity – depth and concentration. I’m loving these.
Made with 30% oak in the elevage – but 2-8 year-old barrels.
Hmm – interesting, some aniseed on this nose. Ooh – less sweet, beautifully textured – direct – mineral. Ooh – I see more of 2014 in this wine – still a touch of richness to the texture – but wow! Great!
2017 Chablis Brechain
Hard harvested, Opposite Blanchots – 40% elevage in barrel.
A more crystalline fruit – green, lime style – it reminds me of the fruit in 2008s. Fresh, direct, almost electric – yes very 2008!
2017 Chablis 1er Côte de Jouan
In Courgis
A tighter nose – even swirling dislodges very little. More volume, more complexity, great flavour but less drive than the Brechains. Tension and minerality. Easier to appreciate today than the Brechains – so lovely.
2017 Chablis 1er Beauroy
Higher-toned, a little floral – this is a lovely nose. A little gas, plenty of (very) mineral volume in the mouth. Concentrated, mineral a touch of austerity but the really great texture makes the structure more modest. Excellent – but to wait longer for than the last. Super finishing with faint phenolic.
2017 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
Fourchaume et Vaupulents, 40:60
Again, not the biggest nose, but one of floral attractiveness – still very different to all the previous wines. Like the Beauroy a touch of the austere but with more clarity – even better – a touch of finishing bitters again – excellent! Hmm, such a lovely finish.
Hmm – this has a lovely high-toned width of flowers and fruit. Direct, intense – reminds also of a 2008 but the mid-palate is saline and complex – quite pure – almost delicious – it won’t be long – just delicious – bravo!
2017 Chablis 1er Vaucoupins
Fresh, complex, saline but still very attractive nose. A rounder but still very fresh wine in the mouth. Melting fresh, mineral, but slightly sweet flavour. I’m enjoying this tasting so much – fine length.
2017 Chablis 1er Les Fourneaux
A more considered nose – a suggestion of aniseed (again – but much less). More concentrated, deeper, less overt energy but not lacking any fresh intensity. Such a lovely texture. Gorgeous wine…
Weight, freshness but saline minerality too – not the biggest nose but such an inviting nose! Lots of volume here – really mouth-filling, with energy, an architecture – never too much but always a lot – this is really something – bravo – yet still holding a certain elegance.
2017 Chablis Les Preuses
A good width of aroma, but this is a tighter nose. More energetic than the Bougros – more complexity seems to be the result. The finish is really massive ye elegant – opening wide, wide, wide.