Tasted in Chablis with Louis Gimonnet, 11 January 2023.
Château Long-Depaquit
45 Rue Auxerroise
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 11 13
www.bourgogne-bichot.com/fr/long-depaquit-chablis
More reports for Domaine Long-Depaquit
Louis on 2022:
“Yes we are happy with, 22 I think all vignerons will be. I still haven’t seen a normal vintage – what is normal? We actually had to use different stock locations to cover the volume that we had – though only for some Chablis did we have a small VCI but for all the rest, not. I estimate 20-25% losses from the frosts but the secondary buds were practically all fruit-bearing – which is very rare – then there was rain during flowering – but in the end due to this compensation we had no losses!”
Louis on 2021:
“I had the whole team from the cuverie in the vines until 11h00 – just looking for grapes! The normal aim for here is 2,500 hl in the vintage, in 21 it was less than 1,000. The wines are now bottled, finishing with the grand crus at the end of last year – so only in bottle a couple of weeks. For us, it was a proper winter frost that disproportionally affected the tops of the hills more than the bottom of the hills but it’s a vintage that I find charming – juice that extracted very easily vs 22 here”
The wines…
There’s oak elevage for all the grand crus and clearly some wines ate their oak much more quickly than others – but in 4-5 years you will probably not note it in any of them. Their great Preuses was 100% oak elevage (older 500-litre barrels) but the wine the least ‘marked!’ A very great range of classic Chablis in 2021.
There will be new labels from 2022 but the Moutonne has already changed a little for 2021. The logo has changed from that of Long-Depaquit to that of Albert Bichot – so the deer instead of the two hunting dogs – also the vintage now appears on the label not just the neck ‘lozenge,’ together with the number of bottles & magnums for the Grand Crus… 2022 was also the start of organic certification here – they expect AB labelling from the 2025 harvest. All sealed with DIAM:
100% tank fermented, no oak. This cuvée usually represents about 30 hectares worth of vines from all around Chablis over both banks.
Very clean and lightly yellow-citrus accented nose. Hmm – structural but not hard – beautifully shaped and crafted, gorgeously mouth-watering – you should keep it a year or two. Finishing fresh, energetic and saline – bravo!
2 left-bank hectares worth. A more N-E exposure, almost unique for the 1ers, with less stones and more clay here so more acidity and florality. A small parcel not harvested here – partly the disparity of effect from the frost and a lot of oïdium
A little more depth and concentration, similarly yellow-citrus nose to the villages. Fuller, more generous, a bigger, more complex finish – actually with the generosity this is easier to drink today than the Villages. Simply a great wine again – so easy to see the next level of appellation here.
2021 Chablis 1er Les Beugnons
This 2.3 hectare parcel is in the sub climate of Vaillons; Long-Depaquit was originally the only producer, but a couple more are declaring under this label now, rather than using the Vaillons umbrella-label. ‘If you don’t take care here this can really go over-ripe very quickly – so the date of picking is crucial – the parcel is protected by the forest.’
Here the width is more of a faintly grained complexity, very faintly of gentian-pyrazine. In the mouth, there’s the generosity of the last too. Fine finishing.
A large cuvée of 4.3 hectares, from Les Epinottes (90%) plus a little Lys and Beugnons. Elevage with 10% 2-5 year-old oak, essentially from Vosges. Then blended back into tank.
A larger impact of freshness. The structure more visible – slightly more architectural, not quite of rigour but in this direction. Here is a most chiselled wine that you should wait for – but the middle and finishing flavours melt over the palate – finishing strong and more floral. That will be a great one but wait 2-3 years!
5 hectares from Chichée, the exposure resembles Vaudesir. ‘A pivot wine between the 1er and grand crus here.’
A much larger aromatic – a mix of florals and citrus references. Hmm – cooler, more direct, more mineral – a purist’s beautifully mineral, texturally exemplary, cliché Chablis. The finish broadening over the palate, slightly floral, and long lasting – yes!
2021 Chablis 1er Les Montmains
100% oak elevage in 2021. From Forêts
Broader aromatic obviously with plenty of creamy barrel elevage – actually 100% but some 500-litre barrels – in 2022 it’s all 500-litres barrels. Good shape, super texture and clearly mineral – but the flavours are really too much of the barrel for my personal taste – but the finishing peak of flavour impresses all the same.
2021 Chablis Les Blanchots
1.5 hectares from the end of the valley, near the trees, almost always harvested 1 week after Les Clos.
I like the scale and purity of this nose – mineral for sure but also with lots of florals. Volume – I could say density but this is so open, better to say concentration. I have a small creamy barrel impression – perhaps the memory of the last wine – but here is a wine of volume and generosity, the finish is of large-scale and of length. Less incisive than some but a fine grand cru.
Broad aromatics – more in the higher than the deeper notes – again with flowers but with the minerality more present. Clean, cool, pure – ooh that’s so great – almost a little orange flesh if not quite mandarin. Complex, involving, with ingraining flavour. So impressively holding the width of finishing flavour. Not just excellent – this is a great one!
2021 Chablis Les Bougros
A powerful nose on one hand, more compact on the other I sense some barrel interaction here too. A sweeping width of flavour here – in terms of shape this is super impressive – the flavour a hint oaky today but texturally beautiful wine and with such finishing intensity too – an excellent grand cru.
2.6 hectares of 47-year-old vines. Always harvested at the same time as the Moutonne.
Not the largest scale of nose but one with a very fine clarity – there’s a weight to this aroma and it is very inviting. Ooh – that’s really vibrant – many faces of complexity and flavour energy here – that’s a Vaudésir to look out for – such an appealing, delicious complex wine. Bravo Vaudésir – it’s rare to find one with such a personality!
2021 Chablis Les Clos
1.5 hectares worth from 2 plots.
A nose of width an depth – a slightly nutty complexity here. Holding the centre of the palate – there is concentration but nothing bulky – indeed more a melting style to this flavour as it spreads out over the palate – a richness of flavour without heaviness. A wine of concentration and balance – simply excellent.
2.3 hectares that sits 95% in Vaudésir and 5% in Preuses. Like the previous three – this with 1/3rd or less barrel in the elevage
A more modest volume of aroma but still engaging and with freshness. Mouth-filling, mineral, with a lovely energy that moves the wine around, fresh flavours – the silky ripe citrus and minerality blending together. A finish that has width and persistence – more contemplative than most but engrossing. A simply super wine – bravo!