Tasted in Beines with Florent Dauvissat, 13 January 2020.

Domaine Agnes et Didier Dauvissat
Chemin de Beauroy
89800 Beines
Tel: + 33 3 86 42 46 40
www.domainedauvissat.fr

More reports for Domaine Agnes et Didier Dauvissat

Florent on 2019:
“A year with some difficulties, there was frost but for our vines not too bad – it was mainly the young vines that were affected, indeed my pinot for crémant – 0.8 ha – 100% lost, only a little was lost in the 1er crus. We tend to prune later so the April frosts were not so bad, but we had a little in May too and we hadn’t lit our candles! More important on the volume was probably the dryness in the summer, some roasted grapes reducing the yield a little – a lot of our work moved to mornings as it was too warm in the afternoons. Probably some animals chose grapes as their main source of water as there was so little to be found. In total, we lost about 20% but we have wines that will be concentrated and rich, some places with lower acidity – to minimize that we harvested some places early though our Petit Chablis was still 13.5° – but I think we found the right path for balance and the wines are already tasting good.”

Florent on 2018:
“A very good harvest for sure. We hand no thoughts of such a volume during the summer as it was so warm and dry – seemingly, though, there was enough reserve of water in the soil. Harvesting the grapes, despite the volume, we had no impression that the grapes were lacking anything. It would have helped in some places if there had been a little rain to pep up some parcels, but generally very happy.”

The wines…

So consistent! As each and every year, just a delicious range of wines.

For Petit Chablis and Chablis a DIAM equivalent – from Trescases – ‘These are drunk in a year, for export it’s perfect. A higher-quality cork for the higher wines. In 2018 we started bottling the Petit Chablis rather early as we had no wine from 16 and 17 – our first bottlings in February/March, but second bottlings were done in the summer, and some is still not yet bottled – mainly the VCI from 18 that can contribute to the losses in 2019. For the 2018s they now have HVE Haute Valeur Environmentale on their labels.’

2018 Petit Chablis
An assembly of parcels, in the plateau of Beines, near Vauligneau and above the grand crus. Bottled in February
A little green to the colour. A modest volume of aroma, but seems nicely textured and inviting – almost a faint smoke to lime fruit. This is incisive and mineral. Mouth-watering, long flavoured wine. A little less accommodating than many in 2018 – and I like that. Lime-style fruit, so more structured than the easy lemon wines! Long as seemingly all wines this year.

2017 Chablis
5.5 ha of Chablis in total – this representing 3 of those hectares in Fyé, almost a continuation of Blanchots, just below the plateau of Petit Chablis.
Hmm – this is a forward and bright nose, also a little lime-accented. Like the PC, here is a more acid-forward wine than many in 2018. Driving, energetic, lime-fruit. A good vibration if finishing flavour too.

The first two wines really have an extra zip and different fruit profile vs many – must have been quite early picked.

2018 Chablis 1er Beauroy
2 hectares of vines in a single parcel in Côte de Savant. The most recent bottling – done in July.
A nose of more depth and slightly more in the direction of lemon citrus, a very fine invitation. Supple, vibrant – dynamic even – this is fresh but not painfully so – intense and minerally mouth-watering. This is a super wine – not the most amazingly textured, but vibrant, delicious and pushing me to take another sip – simply excellent wine!

Not yet bottled are the cuvées with some oak elevage – they have only just moved to commercialising the 2017s:

2018 Chablis Les Petits Vignerons
Hand harvested, a parcel in Courgis – 0.5 ha near Chaume de Talvat – 500 l barrels for vinification and the rest in tank – usually 12 months elevage. Assembled in November. It’s not yet filtered but it’s fined so bottling is not so far away – probably February.
A bigger nose – a mix of yellow and green citrus – this packs a punch! Bigger shape in the mouth but a little extra softness to the texture – the acidity is fine and penetrating but without pain. A lovely wide vista of flavour. I like this very much – excellent wine – so yum!

2018 Chablis 1er Beauroy Eléve en Fût de Chêne
This the cuvée with all barrel elevage – only 3 demi-muids for the whole cuvée.
A completely different register of aroma – more toasty, a little salinity though – not a big nose. In terms of shape and freshness in the mouth, this is really a super wine – the energy of the other Beauroy is fully on display here too, but in this case with the complexity of barrels fully in evidence. No vanilla or coconut, rather a barrel spice – and if I could choose the impact of my oak, it would be in this direction. An excellent wine in the barrique style.

And something to show the evolution of the oak in these last two cuvées:

2016 Chablis Les Petits Vignerons
An obvious width of saline aroma. Hmm – that’s a beautiful line of acidity, almost but not quite mouth-puckering. The oak is really hidden now, a suggestion of spice only, Love the shape of this wine – it’s excellent.

2017 Chablis 1er Beauroy Eléve en Fût de Chêne
Here the nose is more compact – I would guess oaked but it’s now on a rather subtle level. Yellow citrus fruit aroma. Fine, fresh, driving – wider than the 2018 shows today – beautiful fruit almost lime-style but no sharpness. Great texture – this is potentially a great wine with a little more time. Only the barrel showing on the nose a little. Carafe and enjoy now