Tasted in Préhy with Clotilde Davenne and team, 16 January 2020.

Domaine Clotilde Davenne
3, rue de Chantemerle
89800 Préhy
Tel: +33 3 86 41 46 05
www.clotildedavenne.fr

More reports for Domaine Clotilde Davenne

On 2019:
“Easier in the vines, very few treatments, the weeds didn’t really push as it was too warm for them. Overall, more stress than in 2018 as it was the first time we had such heat – the harvest was anyway good. The grapes were ripe and had an interesting balance when we got back from holiday, but I found them a little hard and there was no juice. It’s half a harvest for us – the Chablis was correct but St.Bris and Irancy were much less. The wines seem more balanced than in 2018, the reds need more elevage, for now, they need to become more supple.‘

On 2018:
“In 2018 we are rather happy. I have some impression of 2013 from the easy fruit of a mature Chablis as opposed to young Chablis – the wines are a little fresher than 2013 though.”

The wines…

Many excellent wines chez Clotilde in 2018.

2018 Bourgogne Aligoté Vieilles-Vignes
Here the nose has a more mineral line. Bigger, brighter, more energetic, more mineral – this is almost too much – I’d actually wait for it to calm a little but it’s a bravura performance today!

2018 St.Bris
Bright, attractive, faintly minty. Drive and energy like the last, though a little gas is surely partly the reason. Tasty, bright, almost illuminated wine. Good length if more sombre finishing than previous.

2018 St.Bris Vieilles-Vignes
This one not bottled.
An upturn in aromatic minerality – the same as for the aligoté – maybe a touch of reduction too. Again a little gas. More clarity and intensity of flavour. Really a mouth-watering finishing wave of fresh and mineral flavour – a super finish – excellent wine!

2018 Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre
Two parcels of old vines – from 2018 in the domaine.
A modest intensity nose but the fruit behind is ripe and pure – citrus fruit, not exotic. This has plenty of volume in the mouth, energy too. Easy, a little mineral and plenty of ‘oomph’ – a good wine, with a super finish.

2018 Bourgogne Blanc
Just behind the domaine in Prehy on Kimmerigian, a little more soil depth but probably should be classed as Chablis! Planted in 1992. Screw-cap
This is different, it’s deeper, more mineral – still not completely effusive. Gas. Much more mineral and driving. A narrower wine, maybe less interesting to some people than the last, but it’s more classic Chablis – even if, despite being in Préhy, it’s still not Chablis!

2018 Petit Chablis
Again not a big nose, but here’s a wine with good freshness and more than a suggestion of minerality below. Lovely open mineral, just a little extra over the Bourgogne here as the minerality has a little frame of fine citrus fruit. That’s excellent!

All the previous wines have a DIAM-style of closure, or screw-cap, and Clotilde has started with the DIAM Mytik for there crémant.

2018 Chablis
Tasted both the cork and screwcap version together:
There is not much between these aromas – fortunately – though I feel that cork is a shade more open. Bubbling with fine citrus energy and good ingraining flavour for both – I’ve the impression that I feel a little gas more on the cork wine – perhaps the reason for the openness. Both lovely finishing.

2018 Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
Hmm, a rounder nose, a little perfumed. Bright – a lovely attack of freshness – not overtly with gas supporting. More tangy, zesty in the middle and finish – holding fine. Excellent Chablis!

2018 Chablis 1er Vaillons
A glass that needs working, but swirling brings some lovely extra depth of agrume fruit – nice purity too. More attack, a little softness to the next flavour, wide, framed with citrus acidity. The finish is less demonstrative and very tasty.

2018 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
A green citrus in this mix – and a much more forward nose. The palate reflects the nose in the citrus mix – more lime-shaded than classic lemon or agrume. A little more structural too. That’s a very good finish.

2018 Chablis 1er Vaucoupin
Bought from same producer each year.
This is a super nose – a complete nose – of minerality, fresh fruit and even a touch of salinity. Lovely salinity in the mouth here too – lots – that’s pretty rare in 2018. Lots of finishing energy – it could only be Chablis – excellent wine!

2018 Chablis 1er Montmains
37-year-old vines in Courgis, from the bottom of Montmains.
A nose of some mineral volume, I have the impression of a little gas too. Yep, a little gas. But here’s a fine palate – more a framing with super and incisive acidity. But that’s a nice line of flavour too. A vibrant finish. Again excellent Chablis!

2018 Chablis Blanchots
40-year-old vines. The first not bottled.
This has a nicely growing intensity of aroma. That’s a bigger impression – as it should be, but not losing any balance – as it also should be. There’s the impression of faint oak complexity and waves of lovely finishing flavour. This will be excellent.

2018 Chablis Les Clos
Like all wines at this domaine, never any wood. Again not bottled.
The nose is a little timid – almost a little sherbet impression. Also an impression of tannin to the leading edge of the texture. Wide and mineral, plenty of energy – still not showing everything – for sure – but today it’s the Blanchots that takes the prize for me!

Les Rouges:

2017 Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre Pinot Noir – Rosé
A very small production.
That’s quite a punchy nose, wide, almost a low-sulfur impression too. Wide, nice energy, a touch of richness but lack of balance. A nice quite zesty finish with some citrus skin in the finish – really quite attractive there.

2018 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Deep, almost chocolate, lots of fruit, perhaps a touch of barrel that’s making the chocolate note. Round, plenty of tannin, good depth of flavour – a little too marked by the oak today, which takes away some of the wine’s character but I still think this will be very good in a couple of years.