Tasted with Karine Roy in Fontenay-Près-Chablis, 26 January 2023.
Domaine Roy
71 Grand Rue
89800 Fontenay-près-Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 10 36
www.domaine-roy.com
More reports with Domaine Roy
Karine on 2022:
“We started harvesting in the first week of September, it’s not a vintage where we needed to chaptalise – there’s acidity and freshness but we won’t be bottling anything earlier. The volume was good and we had a little VCI too.”
Karine on 2021:
“All is sold for Petit Chablis and Chablis – okay a few bottles are remaining – in terms of commercialising, for the 1ers it’s still 2020s here and for the Grand Crus we are still with the 2019s. 2021 wasn’t the worst for volume – it’s half a harvest for everything outside of the grand crus – for the GCs we are well protected so managed to make our target. We actually have our normal volume of domaine bottle sales but to balance that we sold a lot less to the Maisons.”
The wines…
What is great? These wines had such finesse and composure that I rarely felt the punch of ‘Yes! Great!’ but on the other hand there was such drinkable finesse here – I ended up begging to buy some!
This domaine has flirted with the use of DIAM seals but didn’t like the results. Now they are all cork again. As the PC and Chablis are officially sold out – I was given the choice of which one I’d like to taste – so chase the Petit Chablis:
2021 Petit Chablis
Kimmerigian. This opposite Bougros on the ‘wrong’ side of the road – the lieu-dit is called Petite Preuses – but it’s not allowed on the label!
A pretty nose, modestly floral – it’s a fine perfume. Open, mobile, good energy, fine in the mouth – there’s a lot of finesse here – This would be far too easy to drink!
2021 Chablis
This the Chablis of Maligny
Not tasted…
2021 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
From Côte de Fontenay on the road to Fontenay – ‘My grandfather had vines concentrated in this area – so he could be there and back each day on his horse!’ There’s no aspersion in this area – the vines were not protected in 2021.
There’s some width here but a nose that needs a bit of air to start releasing something interesting – slowly adding some floral perfume. An extra punch of middle flavour – growing wider and more mouth-watering with plenty of finishing salinity – that’s another comfortable, elegantly finishing wine – holding a super, very stable finish – super persistence – and always with an accent of salinity – that’s excellent – give it some air if opening now.
There was no cuvée in 2017 as it was completely frosted. A little over half a hectare here.
Here’s more aromatic intensity – plenty of perfume. Extra incisive, great shape – growing in wide waves of flavour – a super peak of flavour – that’s simply excellent, mouth-filling, delicious wine – Fab! Another great finish too! Bravo.
2021 Chablis Bougros
3.5 hectares under Preuses – great grandfather and father bought in multiple parcels and planted in the 1960s – €70k just for the candles for 5 nights in 2021.
Not a large nose but open and perfumed – there’s fine freshness here. The intensity is a little more – starting quite compact but growing wider and wider over the palate. Lovely minerality in a finish that’s far too easily accessible today – I think I might drink these wines far too quickly!
2021 Chablis Preuses
‘Only 0.5 ha’ – a long parcel that joins with the first vines of their Bougros. This with a sommelier-style bottle Replanted 16 years ago. Just one owner’s vines separate the domaine’s two grand cru parcels – indeed also the domaine’s Vaulorent and their small parcel of Petit Chablis too.
Also starting just a little compact but growing wider and wider with aeration – always with the impression of some power behind. Here the structure is more visible, but cushioned, never hard, and expanding so wide over the palate too. Supple, super texture – almost warming in the finish – certainly warming the heart – just an absolutely delicious wine – Thank you!