Tasted in Beine with Louis & Anne Moreau, 18 January 2023.
Domaine Louis Moreau
10, Grande rue
89800 Beines
Tel: +33 3 86 42 87 20
www.louismoreau.com
More reports with Domaine Louis Moreau
On 2022:
“We are very happy, and we have nice surprises too. It’s a volume that’s correct, and even super in the grand crus – overall certainly not to the levels of 2018 but it’s a good start at reconstituting the stocks. We’ve even had to allocate our Chablis in the last year-or-so – that’s never been seen before. At the end of December, we made a first small bottling which will be commercial – as a test – in February, which shows that the fermentations went very easily in this vintage.”
On 2021:
“The volume was not very good here – all the vines direction Viviers of course but also here in Beauroy/Beines… Harvesting from 21st in 9 days and that went well. yes, I think it’s less volume than we had in 2016 – okay we also have more clients now than 5 years ago. Selling the wine is not as difficult as in previous years – the hard work is in allocating the wines!”
The wines…
As always, a domaine whose wines are pure and classically styled – this year the grand crus are outstanding – and their Les Clos – one of the top wines of the vintage.
You may find the Petit Chablis from here with screw-caps. Across the rest of the range, they are now using DIAMs; 3, 5 and 10, plus some similar agglomerates from Trescasses:
Bottled. The major part is Beines towards Lignorelles on the plateau. Some above Les Clos too but that’s the smaller part. There actually are a few bottles remaining – ‘but only a few!’
An airy and attractive almost chalky yellow citrus – a super invitation. Beautiful, fresh, mouth-watering, practically juicy wine. Just gorgeous. Bravo!
2021 Chablis
Bottled. Usually about 25 hectares worth of vines. 80% from around Beine, the rest from the communes of Fleys and Chablis. This with Screw-cap
Some extra width, still airy but with a little more citrus intensity. Extra mineral, a more mouth-filling structure – no austerity but I might still wait 6-12 months. All fine yellow citrus – a beauty again.
2021 Chablis Cuvée ‘Les 8‘
Not yet bottled, like the GCs – all organic, hand-harvested 50-year-old vines, all done the same as the 1er and GCs. This not yet bottled – probably in March
Another extra breadth of aroma – more overtly mineral aromatics but still a nicely direct ripe citrus and a suggestion of menthol. Some of the perfume of the nose is in the mouth too – a rounder wine, texturally lovely. I would wait for this 12 months – excellent wine.
2021 Domaine de Biéville, Chablis
From Viviers – 18km east of Beines. In the family since the 70s. South facing, on the plateau, not planted for a long time, pure Kimmerigian terroir. Screwcap here
Less wide in the top notes but a base of minerality here – less open. Open, some concentration at the base but nicely fluid. The finish more fruit, ripe, accented with a bouquet-garni to the fruit but delivered with balanced freshness. Super.
Nothing that follows is bottled:
2021 Chablis 1er Vau Ligneau
Back to Beine, more north, north-east facing.
A more vertical nose – here with some echoes of floral perfume. Stricter, more structural shape – I like – a little green herb in the flavours – I like that less but it’s another interesting complexity. Larger scale for sure. Proper delineation between this and the villages wines.
2021 Chablis 1er Les Fourneaux
From true Fourneaux. 4 hectares. This bottled in December
An airy, more mineral nose – here with the faintest whiff of reduction. There’s power here – but a wine that’s much more about expressing its minerality than the fruit. Slightly warmer in the middle and finishing flavours but the flavour, including some more golden citrus fruit, in the finish.
2021 Chablis 1er Vaillons
2 hectares at the base/heart of Vaillons, vines now 59-years-old. All the work is made in an organic way, HVA certified.
A nose that’s less overt but has width, some florals and salinity. Beautifully constructed wine that’s fresh and mineral with super clarity. A sparkly finishing complexity – not quite ready for the big time but a year should be plenty of time – I’m sure this is excellent, maybe even more!
The GCs not yet bottled – probably this will be done sometime in the summer, so approaching 24 months of elevage:
2021 Chablis Blanchots
Since 2018 only small stainless steel tanks – no wood – this the most east-facing of these grand crus. Only 500-litres of this…
A core of ripe fruit – almost a hint of exotic citrus with a chalky support. The combination of extra volume but depth of flavour too. That chalky aromatic more present in the finishing flavours – that’s a beautiful wine but wait – be patient to start with – 2-3 years – better still, wait 10+ years.
Plain-south-facing.
Ooh – right now there’s a very attractive accent – a noble reduction here – more volume to this impressive aromatics too. Mouth-filling, dynamic still fluid – properly grand Clos! Absolutely one of the best in 2021!
2021 Chablis Vaudésir
From the Moutonne hillside.
Impressive and airy aromatic – less open and energetic – but how could it be more? Still with a vibrant energy and juicy-finishing demeanour – this is a super wine which just misses a hint of the focus of today’s Les Clos.
A direct nose of ripe, pure citrus with a little touch of reduction again – a beautiful invitation. Calmer energy but very open and mouth-filling – airy but persistent. Broad finishing. That’s a great Valmur!
There is energy here too – a faintly herbed complexity – great herbs! In the mouth this resembles the energy of the previous Clos it’s just delivered with an extra roundness that tempers the experience today. Faintly sweeter in this finish – a touch of botrytis, perhaps but a great wine – it’s just that, for my taste, there are a couple of greater ones!
And for the road – two great wines, but ones that don’t (yet) really represent ‘Chablis’:
2022 Petit Chablis
Bottling in 2 days!
Wow, that’s a very forward and quite powerful nose of boiled sweets and a little passion fruit. Larger scale wine – impressive, open, exuberant wine. That will be great but I’d wait a little while for this so that the Chablis origins become more overt – I think I’d still be drinking the 21 even faster!
2022 Chablis
Domaine Moreau
More classy aromas – this aroma doesn’t punch you in the same way – complex, ripe citrus – Menton Lemons. Chalky and large-scale but I’m sure less tiring than the PC today. I can’t say that either of these are ultra classic today – though this more so than the PC but that’s another great bottle!