Tasted with Guillaume Vrignaud in Fontenay-près-Chablis, 24 January 2023
Domaine Guillaume Vrignaud
10 Rue de Beauvoir
89800 Fontenay-près-Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 15 69
www.domaine-vrignaud.com
More reports with Domaine Guillaume Vrignaud
Guillaume on 2022:
“The fermentations are slow but I think it’s a good vintage – just 2 parcels had some impact from the frost – 45 hl/ha was our end result in those but the others were more like 60 and we had some VCI. I’m happy because we’ve had some lower volumes with the conversion to organic!”
Guillaume on 2021:
“Well, it was better than 2016 and 2017 – and we now have some warming cables in Fourchaume and I used some candles too – overall I had a little less than 50% of a normal volume. Most is sold too and we had to make allocations – some of the customers are already waiting 4-5 months for their next orders. I only bottled the crus in November after the harvest – we did have some Chablis at 10.5 and some of the crus not a lot more than 11°. We started harvesting on a Friday-Saturday to bring in our Fourchaume as rain was forecast for Monday and it made a difference, we did lose some degrees after the rain as the grapes took up some of the water.”
The wines…
This was a super range – wines that were largely excellent, except when they were touching on greatness! – The Clos de Fontenay will be a great one! One of my favourite vintages at this address.
DIAM since 2008 – not the whole range that year but the rest of the range quickly followed. All these wines were bottles, the 1er crus since November:”
On the Portlandian Plateau des Clos – 4.7 hectares. Only 10 hl/ha – it was very badly hit by the frost.
Ooh – that’s a vibrant nose – plenty of lime citrus and minerality here. Supple, concentrated – ooh, now that’s a great one. Silky and complex – just a beauty!
2021 Chablis
9 different parcels – all around Fontenay – all separate elevage. Many of types of soil. Plenty of massale selections too, representing 12 ha. ‘I delayed the bottling as it wasn’t so balanced but I’m happy with it now that it’s in bottle:’
An attractive faint ‘mineral’ reduction. Extra intensity and more mouth-filling – not quite the feeling of concentration of the PC but still supple, silky and cushioned with lots of citrus action. Just a very delicious, properly classic wine – and persistent in the finish too.
2021 Chablis Les Champreaux
A single parcel of 2.68 hectares – though not all is bottled under this label. Barrel elevage (30%) – 500-litre barrels – ‘if I leave this in tank it has a tendency to become reductive – this avoids that.’
More open and more floral – the barrel is very well hidden here. Extra incisive, very mineral – only right at the end of the palate is a little rounding of the texture from the barrel but the flavour from these containers is practically absent – very well managed. Super finishing – excellent wine.
All tank elevage. ‘Old vines never the rendement.’
More open, crystalline fruit purity – very yellow, almost golden in style – well supported by some mineral notes – that’s a lovely nose. Ooh – fuller, more energetic, an obvious step up to 1er cru – that’s simply excellent wine again – potentially better than that! Top wine.
2021 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
0.28 hectares worth, here only tank elevage. It’s an exchange for Fourchaume grapes – in this case not an organic vineyard.
A more direct and aromatic nose – strongly perfumed. Super intensity again – really mouth-filling too. A wine I’d certainly be (trying!) to have patience with – it’s big and powerful – this flavour is delivered with a punch. The finish shrinks rather quickly but then holds a hauntingly long line of flavour. I do prefer the Fourchaume today – but in 3-4 years more time – it’s possible that I could be persuaded otherwise!
2021 Chablis 1er Les Vaupulant
Elevage in 500-litre barrels and (70%) tank. ‘I like a little reduction but the wood brings the balancing oxygenation that I look for.’
A narrower nose that’s more focused on fresh minerality. In the mouth, it’s incisive but more composed – easier to drink today – than the Mont de Milieu. The finish, like that of the Fourchaume, staying wide and persistent. Again – very well done with the barrels – I don’t taste or smell them. Excellent wine.
‘I modified the vinification a little with an amphora – 30% of the total with the rest of the elevage in tank.’
Not the largest nose but still a width of fine and vibrant minerality – a small floral accent to this nose too. Hmm, beautiful texture, a certainly fluidity to the style of this over the palate. A roundness too – more saline and holding a strong, persistent finish. That’s a great wine.