Tasted in Chemilly with Marie-France & Marianne Vilain, 05 January 2021.
Domaine de Chaude Ecuelle
35 Grande rue
89800 Chemilly-sur-Serein
Tel: +33 3 86 42 40 44
www.chaudeecuelle.com
More reports for Domaine Chaud Ecuelle
Marie-France & Marianne on 2020:
“2020 was a nice year but it lacked some rain. Exceptionally early harvesting – 24 August. We had good degrees and very clean grapes but it’s not a large harvest because of the combination of heat and lack of rain – some of the worst losses were where grapes were grilled by the heat of the sun – but what we harvested was lovely.”
Marie-France & Marianne on 2019:
“Less harvest than in 20 with higher degrees, perhaps the vines were a little tired after the larger yields of 2018. Did light some candles in 2019 but seemingly no issues afterwards, except that it was very hot! So we had good, clean grapes but small grapes. We lacked water but needed to treat less. The harvest was great for quality, we had about 45 hl/ha – 60 would be the rendement.”
The wines…
A shame for my timing that I mainly got to re-taste the 2018s. A fine range for all that!
DIAM for the whole range here.
2019 Petit Chablis
Vines in Pouilly on the plateau, Chemilly, Fyé – everywhere!
That’s a big bright and fresh nose – lots of attractive energy here. Round a little richness, a little tannin at the base, but the width is becoming more and more mineral over the palate. That’s a fine finish. Delicious and proper PC – holding well – excellent!
Normally worth about 30 hectares. Vines planted by grandfather, mainly from the village of Chemilly, but there are vines in Chablis and Béru too. The 19 was being bottled today, hence, the 2018.
This takes some swirling but slowly there’s a nice floral aspect to this wine – more golden-fruited. Supple, easy over the palate, a little grain of tannin again, the minerality present just not forward. More forward in the finish. That’s a proper Chablis and a very tasty one too. – bravo villages in 2018.
2018 Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
3 hectares, roughly. About 2 ha with more than 60 years, some have been replanted. Grandfather’s vines again – planted in the 1950s, usually smaller grapes in this parcel too. Again the 2018.
Small, sweet A more vertical nose – deep and with some higher tones, but more modest in width. Fresher attack – more incisive wine. A base of tannin again, here a richly mineral middle but more cool-style fruit than the villages. More persistence and intensity in the finish – tasty as it is I’d wait a bit longer to let the minerality show more, still it’s an excellent wine.
2018 Chablis 1er Montmains
Relatively flat here. 0.85 ha. Normally has about 18 months of elevage.
Clearly a cooler more mineral nose – more depth to the aromatic but overall a tighter nose. Super across the palate – cool fruit, widely mineral, beautiful texture. Proper, excellent Chablis with a fine base of minerality.
O.75 ha. Planted 1947… on the hillside. Here it doesn’t frost so often as the vines are quite high. All hand-harvested – ‘It’s not easy as it’s steep here – but it’s good for the muscles of the harvesters!’
Here’s a bit of iodine, a mineral reduction in place, the combination with occasional suggestions of flowers is lovely. Hmm, that is a great MdT – not the granular complexity or oak of many domaines – pure wine, even in 2018. Yes, a supple side to it but proper Chablis – great in a 2018 context.
And for the road:
2015 Chablis 1er Vaillons
2 parcels, bought in 2007 – vines from the 1950s – also with very small grapes – hand-harvested – ‘the vines are too old for machines!’
This nose starting tight but slowly opening with a little riper citrus. Finer texture than the last – nicely direct in flavour – the mouth-watering intensity slowly growing. Wide in the middle and hold very well in the finish. Still something of a baby today but with tons of delicious flavour – I’d decant today.
