Tasted with Frédéric Soupé in Chablis, 09 January 2023
Domaine Soupé
ZA des Violettes
1 rue de la Paix
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 52 79 50
www.domainesoupe.com
More reports with Domaine Soupé
Frédéric on 2022:
“Very happy, had a bit of VCI to – like probably 50% of producers. My lowest yields were direction Viviers and Beru – it’s colder there but towards the centre of Chablis to Lignorelles was pretty good – we needed that. Flowering was good – no issues – it wasn’t the greatest of summers but August was better – I started the harvest here early – the East had 30mm more of rain than the centre – starting with my PC then Vieilles-Vignes on SO4 – but I had to wait even here for the right degrees of ripeness.”
Frédéric on 2021:
“Actually, the worst for me was 2013, possibly 2016. 2021 was better than both of those. Here I had about 25 hl/ha – we can say it’s about half a harvest. You can easily see that the places with aspersion – like in the direction of Bienes – the volume was higher. I started harvesting as the grapes reach almost 12.5°. I made just one bottling as the overall volume wasn’t so large – July. As always, DIAM sealed.”
The wines…
It looks like another vintage that I’ll have to keep my nose ready for pyrazines – one definite and one possible in this range – but the rest are marvelous wines – a number that are worth a special search!
DIAM3 for the Petit Chablis and the Chablis and for the old vine cuvée it’s DIAM5 then DIAM10 for the Grand Cru:
Above Valmur – looking towards Beru – south-facing
An airy width but with proper depth too. Ooh – that’s a super in the mouth. Clack! Chiselled – not too seriously mineral – that’s a great bottle already! – “Yes I think the timing is good – I like to wait until January to start tasting my own wines“
2021 Chablis
More direct, greener fruit – but not green in the sense of pyrazines. Wide, more chiselled, more mineral, growing in fine mouth-watering intensity. More serious – I’d wait a year or two to drink – though it’s already showing super-well. Excellent villages – so impressively finishing!
2021 Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
This is their VV cuvée from a terrace in Beru on SO4 rootstock – there’s plenty of clay here – Doyennes was the cuvée name – ‘It’s easier to communicate with clientele with the name VV though!’
A broader more mineral nose – the sea – iodine. Extra-wide, extra silky – this has greenery in the flavours – a lime-skin – a more generous style vs the Chablis and vibrant finishing… Long finishing. Wait 2-3 years for the greenery to become something more interesting but the structure, the shape, of this wine is top!
From Roncières.
A much more vertical nose – yellower citrus complexity – that’s a super nose – and all the wines are quite different so far. Hmm – attack, clack! Mouth-filling, concentrated and energetic – great Chablis!
2021 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
‘I think 3 years is enough to wait for a 1er cru – they are already good after 1 year but three you can see all…’ 70 year-old vines, south facing so a good maturity.
More depth to this nose but perhaps with some pyrazine to accompany the fruit. Great shape and freshness – but the green is very present in these flavours too. Broad and fine finishing though – I love this finish.
Have 3 -lieu dits Côte de Brechain, Pied Aloup and Chapelots the latter of which accounts for about 60% of the surface – it’s more Portlandian and with deeper soil here. ‘I think the three together form a nice balance’
Less high tones but broader – slowly opening further with air – almost a touch of mint and aniseed. Mouth-filling, a base of minerality – great texture – growing with fruit, agrume – slightly exotic. After it’s direct and mineral. Austere vs the other wines today – for keeping but there’s great material here!
Organic vines – the only wine that sees oak during elevate – but 100% 500-litre barrels. A mix of 2018 and 2019 barrels right now. ‘I’m looking for the support, rather than the flavour.’
Almost a noble reduction to this nose – it’s very different; slowly a little creaminess from the barrel too. Larger scale, more slaine – beautiful clarity – generous and silky textured. Then a small detonation of extra flavour – great grand cru – be patient!