Tasted in Chablis with Vincent Dauvissat, 10 January 2020.
Domaine Vincent Dauvissat
8 rue Emile Zola
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 46 11 58
More reports for Domaine Vincent Dauvissat
Vincent on 2019:
“It was a small volume vintage but nice. The particularity was the dryness, the canicule put the vines on standby for a while, but still, we had quite high degrees yet a more interesting acidity than 2018. I’ve no idea yet if they are more concentrated or not than in 2018. Some dried grapes to remove at harvest time, actually quite a lot in 2019, roasted, not like dried raisins of 2003 – a complete loss of those grapes in this case. The 19s some started malo normally, others are still not yet done. I didn’t have any of that in 2018 I’m very happy to say.”
Vincent on 2018:
“2018 brought lots of water in February, some flooding in the village. The floraison was super, unlike in 2019 which I forgot to mention before. We had the normal number of bunches, but bunches with almost 25% more fruit – this was reflected in the volumes – we had about 25% more than anticipated.”
I asked Vincent if he could think of any previous vintages that have something of 2018 about them; “Well, 1947 was also hard to ferment, but this vintage is more like 1959 in terms of the balance of the wines themselves. 1989 had lots of millerandes, so not a lot of volume, so from the perspective of the vintage, it was very different to 2018, yet the balance of the wines was similar.”
The wines…
As every year, the wines here are about precision, precision and then finally about precision!
All bottled by Christmas. “The malos in this vintage were already done by Christmas 2018 so I thought they were ready, normally I finish in spring but they seemed ready.”
Only a little earlier bottling vs the rest – a couple of months.
Wide, a fine aromatic impression of texture – pure. Mineral, the merest suggestion of petrol in that minerality. Layered. Super, obviously Chablis with the salinity. Great finishing – bravo – not many PCs actually in 2018!
2018 Chablis
A tighter nose, purity for sure. A more intense mineral palate. Melting with a certain richness, really enveloping the tongue. Long, long, melting, mouth-watering – just excellent!
Both of the last two have 14°, but the harmony would have you believe much less…
2018 Chablis 1er Sechets
Also a little tight above but here is weight, indeed width too, of aroma. Hmm, this is more directional, super mineral, this has a place to go, the merest suggestion of petrol again, really lots of finishing concentration. Almost a little toffee/caramel in the impressively long finishing notes.
Obtained these vines in 1979, it was a fatter wine and not really in the style of the house at that time – I didn’t think that it was a wine for ageing at the start – but I was wrong!
A more floral impression, still aromatically a little tight – like almost all. Very wide, lots of energy, forward minerality, no rigour – like cold steely water. Melting with mouth-watering flavour. Long, plentiful waves of finishing flavour. Bravo!
The 6th vintage – ‘a very small plot.’
A narrow nose – a more vertical nose, really a fine depth of mineral notes here. Another ratchet-up of the mineral impression, here with a slightly tannic touch to the richer texture. The finish a different shape – very long not so wide, but direct, fabulous. Bravo!
Again, not a big nose, but one with extra, elegant, fresh width. Again, cool fruit, a little more fruit energy here but less of the richness of the MdT. Melting, a little more structural. But nicely packaged in the finish. Mouth-watering, some power, gorgeous finale.
2018 Chablis Les Preuses
Lots of mineral depth here, almost hinting at a faint reduction. Ultra-mineral. Very wide – the mouth is filled but not oppressively, this wine slowly finding all the places on the palate – more composed than the Forêts. More a presence than energy and not particularly more concentrated. Different. The finish is the most powerful of all though – a big block of flavour that needs time to finesse – but here you have everything. Certainly excellent, potentially another level too…
Here the nose, whilst not full power, seems to offer more in all directions vs the previous wines. A finer version of the Preuses. So mineral, volume without overt weight, a little more energy, a little less density. An extra vibrant impression in the finish. Like the Preuses, this wine is not showing half of what lies in wait but it’s very ‘together’ – be patient though. Great wine in progress…
One for the road – ‘how about something that resembled 2017 when young:’
1987 Chablis 1er Vaillons
A vintage of clean grapes, a good volume with a little less acidity than some.
Smoky older chardonnay, nutty, lanolin but not yet much of the latter. Very direct, multi-complex. Wide, relaxing over the palate, cushioning the finish, but very long, a touch of tannin again at the end of the finish. Nicely fresh, more freshness than the richness of 89s tasted.