Tasted in Préhy with Clotilde & Arnaud Davenne, 19 January 2023.
Domaine Clotilde Davenne
3, rue de Chantemerle
89800 Préhy
Tel: +33 3 86 41 46 05
www.clotildedavenne.fr
More reports with Domaine Clotilde Davenne
Clotilde on 2022:
“2022 was a ‘correct’ yield we never attack the high volumes – but it’s a volume that made us happy. The fermentations have gone quickly the malos are all done – maybe we may bottle something a little earlier. ”
Clotilde on 2021:
“2021 is the worst we’ve seen in volume – much lower than in 2016, for example. But it’s a quality that we like a lot – a bit more classic. All the bottlings have been done.”
The wines…
It’s always a pleasure to taste with Clotilde – the range is so varied and always peppered with great wines. No change in 2021!
Except for when you specify screw-caps almost all the wines have a DIAM-style of closure. Clotilde has started using DIAM Mytik for their crémant.
2021 Bourgogne Aligoté
Hmm – that’s a lovely perfume – very floral. Sitting well in the mouth with a core of strong flavour and a lightness of touch at the edges. Very nice!
2021 Bourgogne Aligoté Vieilles-Vignes
80 yo vines from St.Bris from Les Rosiers
An extra width if less overtly perfumed today – more mineral at the core. Extra concentration too, supple with fine texture – less exuberant than the first aligoté today – but the finish is more impressive!
Vines from 1996 from the climat of Montpercy
That’s a lovely nose – direct, minty and very attractive. A wine with plenty of minerality – lovely texture – it’s absolutely delicious – Bravo!
2021 St.Bris Vieilles-Vignes
Vines of over 100-years-old from the climats of Loigny, Les Clous and Les Rosiers
Extra freshness and a more airy aromatic style that’s slightly reductive at the base. Ultra mineral, ultra silky too – vs the previous there’s almost some austerity – but a finish of discretion yet length. Simply excellent stuff!
2021 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 and usually harvested near the end. Screw-cap
A narrower nose but one with some lovely accents of perfume. A small bead of gas but flavour that spreads across the palate – becoming silkier as the gas fades. Finishing mineral and more citrus – it’s lovely in this finish.
2021 Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre
Two parcels of old vines – 70-years-old – since 2018 in the domaine.
The second of each series always seems the most compact aromatically – again here. Once more, a touch more serious and mineral but with lots of joy to be found in these melting, mouth-watering rather mineral flavours. A super shape and style here – almost strict!
1994 vines in Prehy in Les Temps Paradis
Broader, lovely freshness with citrus-accented aromatics. Wow – extra mineral and fresh – ooh a wine that sweeps you off your feet – a classic for PC in 2021. Bravo!
2021 Chablis
South-facing vines in Courgis’ Vaudelune
Higher tones, still mineral, fine citrus. Hmm, a hint more muscle – a wine of extra concentration but not extra generosity – calm but melting. Here is a wine to wait a couple of years for but the purity is really classy. Simply excellent villages.
Vines in the same location as the previous cuvée but here a minimum of 55-years-old. ‘The problem with this wine is the volume – 10 hl/ha’
A warmer width – with a hint of barrel? – Nope, there’s none but I find a small, slightly distracting, noisette. Extra density but such a fluid, mineral wine – cool in style but with concentration. I love it – bravo!
2021 Chablis 1er Beauregard
Hmm – extra – more forward, more precise, more freshness. Fuller in the mouth. Slightly rounder too – growing more intense – a strong line of delicious flavour running through this wine into the finish. Lovely wine!
2021 Chablis 1er Montmains
40-year-old vines in Courgis, from the bottom of Montmains.
Also extra fresh and cool – more citrus-mineral in style. Incisive, direct – cool, cold fruit again – a little zesty agrume complexity in the middle flavours. Simply excellent wine
2021 Chablis 1er Vaucoupin
Bought from same producer each year. Plain-south-facing – a small parcel
Here’s more depth – even a slight reduction. Extra broad – a different style, a more oxidative style – but not really oxidised – ‘yes it was late harvested and it was a very small cuvée – we can’t get to it by tractor – all has to be done by hand. We had nothing in 21 – actually we didn’t have a lot more in 22!’
There were no grand crus in 2021 – ‘it was very difficult to buy wines, GC wines, in 2021.’
Cremant Brut Extra
Chardonnay:Pinot – 40:60%. Zero dosed.
Hmm – a slight warmth to this fruit – a little Mirabelle style – but still with bubbly freshness. Mouth-filling, of course. Finishing with width and a nicely concentrated and tasty finish. This is habitually an excellent cuvée here.
This based, 100%, on pinot from 2020.
Narrower, deeper, higher-toned – more vertical. Ooh – that’s got a hint of extra zip and freshness – I normally prefer the blended cuvée but this year, hands down, it’s this one! Bravo!
Les Rouges
Clotilde is no fan of the 21 pinots – she’s showing the 2020s. All three with some (30%) barrel elevage but older barrels:
2020 Bourgogne Côte d’Auxerre
Also from Les Rosiers in St.Bris
Lots of colour. The pyrazines of the Côte d’Auxerre vintage are prominent. Rounder but with chalky tannins. This has great shape and a modest length but clean finish. If you are not sensitive to pyrazines it will be a lovely wine – it’s not one for me.
2020 Irancy
The pyrazines are less forward in this one – but still present – perhaps rounded a little by the barrel. More impressive shape here, again framed with some chalky tannin. The shape and style of this would be an automatic recommendation without the green notes – your mileage will vary. The finish here is far more flamboyant than that of the Bourgogne.
2021 Irancy Paradis
10% césar in this one…
Still with pyrazines but this wine is tending towards the more floral and perfumed. Mouth-filling again, framed with chalky tannin again. But this wine has a more fluid expression and style. It’s a beauty in the mouth with really fine energy. Without the pyrazines this would be a great Irancy – if you are insensitive, buy all you can!!!