Tasted in Ligny-le-Châtel with Xavier and Jérôme Garnier (pictured), 27 January 2021.

Domaine Garnier & Fils
Chemin de Méré
89144 Ligny-le-Châtel
Tel: + 33 3 86 47 42 12
www.chablis-garnier.com
More reports for Domaine Garnier & Fils

Jérôme on 2019:
“We had yields that were average, occasionally a little weak – we averaged 48 hl/ha vs 43 in 2020. We had 10 hl/ha that could come from the VCI of 2018 so the result is still not bad. Super juice with fine balance – I was really surprised by the combination of ripeness but also freshness and acidity, despite another year that was hot and dry – no catastrophes in the vintage – frost or hail for instance. Wines of around 13.5° in 2019 vs easily 14° in 2018 – hardly over 13° in 2020. We started harvesting 12 September compared to 26 August in 2020 – 2018 was right in the middle of those two dates. Fermentations went quite well – the worst was 2018 – we didn’t have anything like that, while 2020 was practically perfect. I think the wines of Tannay were very successful in 19 we see more character each year but it was a step up from the 17s and 18s.
”

The wines…

Mostly sampled from tank, just 3 wines are already in bottle – it’s longer elevage here. For the ‘Tannay’ and entry wines there’s a mix of DIAM and Nomacorc, for all the rest it’s Trescases cork, the grand crus sealed with NDtec corks:

2019 Xavier et Jerome Garnier, VdF l’Instant Tannay Pinot Noir
Domaine vines, lyre-trained. 14 days of maceration, no pigeage, all destemmed – the minimum of extraction, just 10 minutes of remontage per day.
Medium colour. Depth of fresh aroma, a faint herb – very attractive. There’s concentration here – but freshness too. Finishing wide, faintly herbed again – but this is a very attractive wine…

2019 Bourgogne Epineuil
Bought and the only one bought after the vinification is finished, the extra 1 year of elevage is done here though. Ready to be bottled – should be done in a couple of weeks.
Wider, darker, spicier fruit. Super shape in the mouth, excellent texture no grain to this tannin – a big finish – lots of complexity in the finish. That’s a very fine Epineuil long finishing too.

2019 Xavier et Jerome Garnier, VdF l’Instant Tannay Melon
Same grape that is used to make Muscadet
That’s a big, bright and attractive nose – saline too. Vibrant – quite acid-forward – slowly finding it’s place in the mouth. Wide, mouth-watering – certainly fresh but not too bracing – finishing very well. Almost a champagne without bubbles!

2019 Xavier et Jerome Garnier, VdF l’Instant Tannay Chardonnay
This and the last also ready for bottling.
A nose of more concentration, less open. A faint gas but waves of fine fresh flavour rolling over the palate – zesty finishing – it’s very tasty here. Long too. That’s a lovely wine…

2019 Petit Chablis
Bottled in July.
A little deeper nose – freshness around the core. Also a bright width of freshness here – a super line of intensity, faintly dry phenolic texture. That’s a lovely finish too – Very good PC

2019 Chablis
The largest part of the production, an assembly of all the parcels – about 19 hectares. Also bottled – this in November.
This has a finer width of aroma – very attractive – zesty citrus. Round, more mineral, nice energy and a proper salinity in the lingering flavours – that’s a super Chablis – delicious but also classic.

All the following are not yet bottled, apart from the grand crus all are assembled into tank, but no fining or filtering:

2019 Chablis Cuvée Grain d’Orée
Parcel selection from Maligny, Côte de Charmois, just before Homme Mort on the flat plateau – – always the same parcel on this plateau but with very white limestone soil. A wine that’s always had its own personality – almost 2 years of elevage – so won’t bottle for a while yet – half barrel elevage but only for the first year, then all is assembled in tank with the lees.
Tighter in the higher notes but deeper and riper at the base. Extra width, fine freshness – rounded aby the wood but not too overt and the wood flavour relatively modest – It won’t be bottled for 1 year, so no problem. Vibrant in the finish – lovely energy here, slightly floral complexity too. Excellent wine.

Now the wines that follow are bought as grapes or in must and are all in tank:

2019 Chablis 1er Beauroy
5th vintage. Work with 2 vignerons, Troesmes and Côte de Savant – foudre and large-format barrels
Extra aromatic width – some salinity is present and a pretty agrume fruit core. Full, a little richer, mouth-watering and finishing very long. A bit more energy and I’d say excellent – it’s anyway a very good wine.

2019 Chablis 1er Montmains
This and all the following are the contract wines. 600l demi-muid elevage.
There’s some ripeness of fruit here but this is a very timid nose today. Direct, saline and with good freshness. I like the direction and shape the flavour, like the nose, a little less forward today than the Jouen, but the minerality seems more to the fore here as you head into the finish. And the finish is very fine – lingering, quite strong too.

2019 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
Also demi-muid elevage.
A rounder nose, more golden, Extra mineral in the mouth – wide too. More dynamic than the Montmains today with a little extra wood flavour to assimilate too. Not showing everything today, but that will clearly be excellent.

2019 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
This and the following with elevage in Foudres. This still in its foudre – unracked.
Extra weight of aroma, a little less clarity to start – but slowly there’s more and more to find as you work the glass. That’s got a fine presence in the mouth – forward salinity a little cushion to the texture. The finish is really fine – a wine that keeps getting better and better in the glass – I don’t yet see enough to say ‘great’ but I’m pretty confident to say that this will be excellent MdM!

2018 Chablis Vaudesir
Barrel sample
A nose that’s cushioned by its barrel elevage but it’s clean, round and very inviting. More direct, more clarity of mineral flavour than the MdM – less volume in the mouth but with more concentration. The finish is long – less intense than the MdM – but certainly as long. A more mineral, more textural wine. Give this a little time but there’s another excellent wine in the making.