Tasted in Chablis with Cyril Testut, 09 January 2023.
Domaine Testut
38, rue des Moulins
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 41 45 00
www.domaine-testut.fr
More reports with Domaine Testut
Cyril on 2022:
“I’m happy for now – it’s a good year – our normal volume – no VCI here.”
Cyril on 2021:
“A little more than one-third of a normal harvest – some parcels weren’t bad others were catastrophic – 20-45 hl/ha – actually it was the grand cru that brought the highest yield. It’s complicated because it will take a number of (normal!) vintages to recover the position – but I’m very happy with the quality. It’s a proper Chablis vintage, balanced with some richness too – but you had to sort everything as some vines suffered the maladies… We had to wait for the maturity too. We have fewer bunches per vine than the average producer – a large part because the vines are so old but there’s no deception in 21 we really have concentration in these wines. Then there’s the elevage – we have almost 18 months for the Chablis – time makes the wine – no truer words in this vintage!”
The wines…
Bravo – what a range!
All DIAM today – nice long 54mm DIAM10 for the higher wines:
2021 Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
From Côte de Brechain bottled just a little more than a month.
A floral, concentrated nose. Incisive, mineral – growing over the palate – super clarity & concentration too. Subtly saline. That’s a slightly calm but massively delicious wine!
A tank sample for bottling in 1-2 months.
Fresher, lots of clarity – if a less overtly concentrated nose. A little gas – more incisive again – essence of citrus intensity but with fine texture and a more floral delivery of flavour. A wine of extra energy and pure joy! Bravo – just so delicious and already more approachable than the previous – though the bottling has certainly some effect here.
2021 Chablis 1er Vaillons
Some of the oldest vines, planted in the late 50s/early 60s. From Beugnons. Only a single 500-litre barrel this year.
A calmer nose – riper yellow citrus at the base. Clean, pure – incisive again. Such clarity and wonderful texture. Wide, mineral but always with just enough citrus complexity to guard against austerity. Beautiful wine with slowly rolling waves of delicious finishing flavour!
Less impact but more overt aromatic complexity – lots of citrus and still some florals. Incisive again, super mineral – I would say intense but all the complexity and minerality moderate that – but this is a great wine! Gorgeously mineral finishing.
0.20 ha of 80-year-old vines, the same age as Beugnons. Only replaced with massale selections. A single 228-litre barrel…
Extra breadth – the first wine to show the accent of the barrel that frames some golden citrus fruit. OMG That’s so great in the mouth though – direct, slaine, still creamy – wow! I would wait 5 years for the (single!) barrel-flavour to fade
0.32 hectares – the high part with the other producers – Chablisienne has all the lower part. Father planted in the 60s. 2002 was the first vintage here for Cyril and that was a bigger vintage in terms of volume than he wanted, so worked since then on the soil – and there’s not a lot up there, and in recent years he’s had it ploughed by horse. ‘Today I’m happy with the balance in the plants. But whilst there’s magic in certain parcels, you have to work to unlock that magic!’
At this time the nose is airy and clean but still lacking some of the volume of the previous wines. Wow again – intense – extra mineral – a little extra volume in the mouth – it’s a step up from the brilliant Forets. Beautiful clarity and texture with balanced concentration. Gorgeous wine and currently just a nose short of greatness!