Tasted in Chablis with Cécilia Trimaille, 22 January 2020.
Château Long-Depaquit
45 Rue Auxerroise
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 11 13
www.bourgogne-bichot.com/fr/long-depaquit-chablis
More reports for Domaine Long-Depaquit
Cécilia on 2018:
“The biggest difference, and the one that changed everything versus 2018, was that we had no water in 2019 – so it was an important deficit even before the strong drought in the summer. Some hail in the grand crus early in the season. The change in temperature during flowering – going from cool to the first canicule was rather brusque. That said we had really interesting balance, but each bunch hid some blocked grapes within the ripe and sweet ones. We started 09 September and were one of the first to harvest and the mornings were rather cool – the pressed juice not much more than 5°C – but then the heat returned again with grapes that came into the winery rather warm. It’s possible some of the character of 2018 will surface also in the 19s – let’s see.”
Cécilia on 2018:
“In 2018 I never had the impression that the vines suffered, even hardly the young wines, and that was the reserve of water that we had at the start of the year. We started our harvest 03 September – we had a few other domaines harvesting at the same time – certainly more than in 2019.”
The wines…
Cécilia’s first complete vintage – and well-done for such a great and rather classical selection of Chablis – the Chablis and 1ers have such super mineral tension – 2018 really fits the style of this producer.
The wines are bottled – the last were done in December. For now, they remain very happy with bottling in DIAM
100% tank fermented, no oak. This cuvée usually represents about 30 hectares worth of vines from all around Chablis over both banks.
A little cushioning to this agrume nose. Bright, mineral and fresh, even a little suggested austerity from the zesty structure. Super finishing – bright and growing. Bravo! Wait for 6-months and then harvest!
2018 Chablis 1er Les Lys
2 left-bank hectares worth. A more N-E exposure, almost unique for the 1ers, with less stones and more clay here so more acidity and florality. 100% in tank, no oak.
A deeper nose, the merest suggestion of reduction and even an impression of aniseed. Wide, classical, mouth-watering. Excellent Chablis – again a growing more structural element in the finish and properly saline too!
2018 Chablis 1er Les Beugnons
This 2.3 hectare parcel is in the sub climate of Vaillons; Long-Depaquit was originally the only producer, but a couple more are declaring under this label now, rather than using the Vaillons label. ‘If you don’t take care here this can really go over-ripe very quickly – so the date of picking is crucial – the parcel is protected by the forest.’ Again only tank elevage ‘to keep the purity of this place.’
Faintly citrus fruited but less open. Steely freshness, layered, more mineral than fruit, not a big burst of finishing flavour, but anyway very long. Overall fresher yet showing a little tighter than Les Lys.
2018 Chablis 1er Vaillons
A large cuvée of 4.3 hectares, from Les Epinottes (90%) plus a little Lys and Beugnons. Elevage with 10% 2-5 year-old oak, essentially from Vosges. Then blended back into tank.
Also compact aromatics but swirling does help dislodge a little interest. Hyper mineral – wide, mouth-watering, more depth of finishing flavour. Perhaps a hint of fruit in this one – certainly in the zesty finish there’s some interesting action. A great set of 1ers.
5 hectares from Chichée, the exposure resembles Vaudesir. ‘A pivot wine between the 1er and grand crus here.’ Just a little more oak – 15%.
A little more forward nose, faintly saline, more overtly mineral. More beautiful, mouth-filling, shape than the preceding wines. Gorgeously textured, supple, long flavour. Less overt freshness, more overt complexity. A beautiful peak of finishing intensity though – bravo!
20% oak elevage. From Forêts
A freshness of aroma, aided by swirling. Wide and fresh, more structural, still a faint saline and phenolic touch to the texture. There’s more active energy here and a simply brilliant line of finishing flavour. Bravo again – starting compact on the nose and getting bigger and bigger.
2018 Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre
Less wood in elevage – only 20% – before it was all wood. It’s back to all wood in 2019 but larger-format, older barrels.
Here is a nice, almost floral, freshness but still quite a compact nose. A volume similar to the Vaucoupins, more structural, less textural. A suggestion of reduction in the minerality. More a finish with successive waves of flavour. Excellent.
All the grand crus were bottled in December:
2018 Chablis Les Blanchots
1.5 hectares from the end of the valley, near the trees, almost always harvested 1 week after Les Clos.
Whilst not a large aroma, there’s certainly a little extra versus the 1ers. A little richer, more layering of flavour, deep, delicious agrume with overt energy until the finish – here there’s plenty of life, not to mention length!
2018 Chablis Les Vaudésirs
2.6 hectares of 45-year-old vines. Always harvested at the same time as the Moutonne.
A little more aromatic width, but again some tightness below. Brighter, fresher, more mineral character, supple, easy energy, a touch of tannin in the texture. A very good finale with a little zestiness and textures – I like it a lot!
2.3 hectares that sits 95% in Vaudésir and 5% in Preuses.
A little extra depth to this nose. Super across the palate – mineral, great freshness and clarity – super energy too. There’s some richness in the finish but not at the expense of anything, as there’s such energy and complexity – here it’s great wine. Much potential here!
2018 Chablis Les Clos
1.5 hectares worth from 2 plots.
Just a little more open with a touch of salinity and a depth of energetic minerality. Ooh – that’s rather rich – layered, lacking a bit of zip for my liking, yet the finish is really super, it’s open, airy, complex and deliciously long…
These last two wines have all barrel elevage in 19 the Preuses moving to larger barrels, perhaps the Bougros may follow:
A more open nose, of-course with plenty of oak. Powerful, some richness but the fresh minerality really cuts through that. Clearly much more oak flavour than I would like to taste today – but in 2-3 years this could be grandiose – bravo I think!
2018 Chablis Les Bougros
Here the oak is hardly visible. Bright, fresh, über-mineral – so wide, lovely energy, vibrantly finishing – less volume of finishing flavour but with lovely energy – a more up-front wine with a smaller (volume) finish today but fine length all the same.