Tasted in Fleys with Cyril Gautheron, 27 January 2023.
Domaine Alain et Cyril Gautheron
18 Rue des Pregirots
89800 Fleys
Tel: +33 3 86 42 44 34
www.chablis-gautheron.com
More reports with Domaine Alain & Cyril Gautheron
Cyril on 2022:
“Of course happy with the volume – the frost was still a problem for the vines on the hill opposite the domaine – but the new buds were still fertile – this same place delivered only 8-12 hl/ha in 2021. Really easy fermentations – maybe too easy – I don’t like them to be too fast!”
Cyril on 2021:
“Disparate – but yes, the lowest volume that I can remember. Homme Mort was normal because we have aspersion. But two parcels close by delivered 8 hl/ha and normal – it’s hard to explain. Montmains was also protected so over 40 hl/ha – because of the snow we doubled the number of candles which helped. I like longer elevage and the 21s just never seemed to stop improving with elevage.”
The wines…
As I’ve come to expect- consistently excellent wines, peppered with great ones. As the last 2 years- I asked if I could buy some!
Principally the wines are sealed with DIAM5:
A blend of parcels from here in the north but also from Mâcon and Beaujolais – all with separate vinification, in tank, then blended. Made since 2016.
A lovely fresh width – nicely citrus. Rounder in the mouth but with energy and like the nose fine citrus intensity – broad becoming more mineral. That’s simply excellent – in fact a great bottle for about €12!
2021 Petit Chablis – is sold-out – but we can taste at the end a 22!
2021 Chablis
Bottled December, representing 21 hectares of vines; Fye, Chablis, Chichée vines – all right bank.
Vibrantly citrus but still a wine of Chablis. Some generosity here – but the depth of this flavour is really lovely. Generous yet strong and long-lasting, juicy finishing – an excellent villages…
Bottled 15days. 3 ha of vines between Fleys and Vaucoupin – 15 months on fine lees, made this since 2009 and worked organically here since 2009 too, without certification, ‘Sometimes I think the treatments are too much – I prefer a homoeopathic approach – of-course if something is needed. Of course, practically nothing was needed in the last 2 years. Some full-sun places the weeds died on their own.’
More direct, again lots of citrus energy, almost some lime in this mix. Fresher, more mineral – a beauty – bravo – great villages.
2021 Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
Vines older than 55 years, provenance of those grapes the same as for the last wine. A mix of tank and wood for the first part of elevage then assembled into stainless for the last part of elevage. Amount of wood depends on the vintage. Not yet bottled, maybe in 1-2 months though. ‘The first year, 2000, I bought the barrels when my parents were on holiday – my dad was anti-wood!’
The oak is beautifully integrated. Plenty of gas – but here’s an impressively cool width of flavour – more generous than the Emeraude but silky and impressive. Holding superbly – like the last.
2021 Chablis 1er Vaucoupin
Two parcels that average nearly 50 years of age. Particular – part that had tiny yields and another part really not bad – the assembly brought half a harvest! All tank elevage, bottled end of August.
Broad and vibrant – again. Here is some mineral power – really impressive – you won’t get the best out of this for 3-5 years – the finish is more subtle, more mineral too, and very long…
2021 Chablis 1er Fourneaux
Have almost 3 ha of this. A lot of white clay with some blue clay in the mix. I protected but still lots of damage – hardly half a harvest – bottled start of November, also for the VV that follows. This all tank elevage, the vv with some (less than 20%) wood elevage
An extra lime-vibrancy to this citrus; part floral too. Intense, more structural but still cushioned shape. Depth of powerful almost chewy finishing flavour – tons of material – it’s not quite ready but with this material I think it will be excellent in 3+ years.
About 75-year-old vines. Pres Girots and Fourneaux lieu-dits – zero oak in this vintage – ‘I decided that I prefer it that way.’ 20-25 hl/ha.
Ooh – here are extra dimensions, mineral, floral, not any wood. Super, mineral width over the palate – that’s really my style of Chablis – cool, wide, silken texture, supple and just beautifully flavoured – bravo! Slightly chalky texture towards the end of the finish.
2021 Chablis 1er Vaillons
This and the Montmains have 80-year-old vines. On the border of Sechets in Epinottes and Minots. 25% wood elevage.
Frosted but less than near the domaine – nearer 30 hl/ha.
Bright, pretty and pure yellow citrus – an airier style. A little remaining gas here – but a wine that grows to fill all of your mouth, supple, slowly mouth-watering and a with some extra generosity. Broad – a beautiful finish – oh that’s so good! Excellent wine…
0.66 ha in Montmains but sitting on the border with Forêts. 80 year-old-vines. ‘Tronconic’ tank for 1 year and since the harvest in tank. Bottled 15 days.
Also a width of fine citrus – even some salinity in this case. Ultra clean and mineral – such clarity – that’s another great one. So juicy too – the style is similar to VCP vv but just a bit more energy. Bravo!
Vines of 50-60 years of age. 15% barrel elevage – always 228-litres. Bottled end of August.
Ooh – not the widest nose but here is both energy and a certain extra complexity. A wine with some structure – great shape – some growing power too. Intense in the finish – potentially a great one here but it’s not for today – or the next couple of years!
2021 Chablis 1er L’Homme Mort
0.35 ha – the smallest of the premier cru surfaces here. High and south-facing look towards Fourchaume and Chablis, beyond. The same elevage as the previous – also bottled the same time. ‘Because it wasn’t frosted, it’s possible that I harvested this a bit late…’
A smaller nose after the Mont de Milieu but no less pure or interesting. A wine cut from stone, but still silky – I sense the rounding of the corners with some barrel – but don’t taste any! A width and an intensity of finishing flavour. That’s lovely! Excellent – but be patient.
Part in 500-litre barrels, then a part in concrete eggs then all in tank with fine lees.
A more discrete but also lovely nose. Ooh, the nose doesn’t prepare me for the vibrancy and minerality of this – cool, sinuous, silky wine. Real large-scale finishing – wow – and bravo! ‘The 15 is great now – but it was, for a long time, austere.’
All the following are contracts, it’s a blend of coopers for the barrels – nothing will be bottled much before March or April:
2021 Chablis Bougros
500-litre barrels – then into stainless.
A little vibration of reduction at the core of this one. Vibrant, gorgeously endowed with complexity – the first wine where I sense a little smoky barrel flavour, extra sweetness to this fruit to. Far too easy to drink today!
2021 Chablis Valmur
Old parcel, Grenouilles side. All GCs with same elevage
More discrete – but still some fine citrus complexity. Extra gas – here no oak and extra minerality – like Bougros not a wine of extravagant concentration or generosity but one of depth of flavour, complex flavour and the balance to support it – another simply super wine.
The previous wines with 500-litre barrel elevage but this with 228s
The most open nose of the GCs – so far. Lots of aromatic energy and citrus complexity. Again plenty of gas. Here a hint more serious – studious. You have to wait for the more mineral flavours to melt over the palate flooding the senses – that’s – no question – another beauty. An extra burst of finishing flavour to this one too – probably the most impressive of all these – so far!
2021 Chablis Preuses
This nose suggests a lot more structure – it’s certainly the most mineral of all. There’s some gas, but not too much. Actually this is the most at ease, the calmest of all these GCs, supple, silky, mineral with some generosity – it’s really hiding it’s complexity today. The finish certainly grows and offers something more impressive than the middle – and the length is possibly the best of all – a great wine – possibly – but it’s a few years away from the big time!
And for the road:
2022 Petit Chablis
Already filtered and ready to bottle – ‘in a bit more than 2 weeks but it’s only a small amount of the total – I’ve never done a wine as early as this before, despite not being the most patient of personalities – but the restaurants want it!’
Ebulient aromatics – and not TOO fruity. Hmm – that’s got some structure and a bit of minerality – I think I would guess that this comes from Chablis – that would be a first of these ‘primeur Chablis!’