Tasted blind, at the BIVB office in Chablis, 29 January 2024.
As always, I find these blind tastings a great source of new names, the aim being to find producers of great wines that I haven’t previously visited – Chablis has been quite a dynamic place in the last years, with a number of new startups – though often to the detriment (loss of members) to La Chablisienne.
Of course, the wines were tasted blind. The sample order was completely random – the next bottle was the one closest to hand. The bottles were numbered and the number was compared to a spreadsheet list of domaines after all had been tasted to match the wine to the producer. The notes for the wines are listed in the order that they were tasted.
The results – and to compare:
In the 2017 vintage I noted 16 wines as ‘great/bravo’ – and that was from 52 samples.
From the 2018 vintage, I marked 9 as ‘great 2018s’ from 56 samples.
From the 2019 vintage, 16 again from 66 samples.
From the 2020 vintage, too many ‘green/pyrazine’ wines so no tasting
From the 2021 vintage, frost so very little Petit Chablis so no tasting
From this 2022 vintage, from 57 samples – only 6 ‘great wines’It’s the vintage !!
Since I started making my tour of domaines in Chablis with the 2012 vintage, I have never seen ‘on average’ such a great, delicious, vintage in Chablis – it is the best from that perspective – you may note that many, many wines tasted here were judged as excellent – but it’s a vintage where I keep asking myself:
‘But where are the great wines?’
I’ve said it before and the 2022 vintage reinforces my thoughts: The ‘old concept’ of a certain austerity to Petit Chablis – as exhibited in 2012, 2013, 2014 and even 2015 – is an anachronism in the current run of warmer vintages – you used to drink your Chablis whilst waiting for your Petit Chablis to soften – that is no-longer the case!
The wines…
The wines were opened about half an hour before I start tasting so comparable to if you order them in a bar or restaurant – the only real difference is that in the restaurant – you can ask for a decanter! As you will see, I felt that, in these circumstances, many of these would have benefited from a carafe – I tried not to fall into the trap that a wine is great or simply excellent – just because it’s not reduced 🙂
And the aim of this tasting was fulfilled – I have some new names who make great wines that I can follow-up!
2022 Mauperthuis, Petit Chablis
Good depth of aroma. A little gas and richness of ripe fruit. Concentrated ripe fruit finishing…
2022 Pisse-Loup, Petit Chablis
More aromatic energy and some salinity too. A little gas but open and energetic. The finish broad and deliciously tasty – yum!
2022 Felix et Fils, Petit Chablis
More vertical nose with fine citrus complexity. Mineral, melting, direct cool flavour. This is super wine – really lots of finishing complexity – and some citrus amères (bitters) too to finish it off.
2022 Duplessis, Petit Chablis
A vibrant width of citrus interest – faintly reductive to start. I love the shape and energy of this but the flavour is quite reductive too Lovely finishing wine – carafe – it will be completely excellent!
2022 Elodie Chalmeau, Petit Chablis
A calmer but still freshly ripe citrus fruit. Clean and wide – a supple style here but not too ripe or fat – there’s good energy. A modest generosity to this delicious finish.
Hmm – a heavy bottle for Petit Chablis?
But airy, precise aromatic interest here. Super in the mouth – complex, mobile flavour of precision, some mineral underpinning and completely delicious clarity of flavour. Bravo!
2022 Christophe et Fils, Petit Chablis
A more discreet but still inviting nose – a little saline accent here. Nice volume and cool flavour with good energy. Ripe citrus with a subtle reduction, saline again. A very good wine.
2022 Camille & Laurent Schaller, Petit Chablis
Airy cool width of aroma – clean and precise. Extra width and lots of energy here – ripe, nearly exotic, citrus but still with tons of energy. The finish is delicious – lovely balanced energy here.
2020 Simonnet-Febvre, Petit Chablis
Hmm – more volume and fresh complexity – what a lovely nose. Full in the mouth, riper, saline-accented fruit flavour that is quite long. Good wine – with a great nose.
2020 Simonnet-Febvre, Petit Chablis BIO
Another nose with a subtle reduction at the base – but airy and saline above. Yes, a carafe is required here – this reduction bring a rigour to the wine. Fine finishing though – this is the best part today.
2022 Céline et Frédéric Gueguen, Petit Chablis
Ooh ! A beautifully open and inviting nose of white flowers and citrussy minerality – yes! Large scale, ultra-mineral. Growing broader over the palate. A great nose with excellent flavours – long too – excellent wine.
2022 Alain & Cyril Gautheron, Petit Chablis
Here the nose is narrower but with a fine depth of clean citrus fruit. The fruit is concentrated and ripe – yellow-citrus – the texture silky and the volume large. The finish strongly saline with slowly fading citrus elements. Some rigour but with a bit of patience this will clearly be an excellent wine.
2022 Fillon, Petit Chablis
Hmm – a nice bend of the citrus and the floral here. In the mouth energetic, clean, direct and a little saline – another with some middle reduction bringing a little rigour to the flavour. Carafe!
2022 Vrignaud, Petit Chablis
A deeper breadth of citrus, faintly reductive again. Hmm, really broad, with a chalky texture and tons of width to the flavour. I love the finishing line of intense flavour. That’s a beautiful wine. Excellent!
2022 Beaufumé, Petit Chablis
More floral complexity to this citrus – some mint too! Is this a little pyrazine? I find it through the flavours too – it’s tasty wine but an overtly minty one!
2022 Bardet & Fils, Petit Chablis
More direct, mineral – almost austere. There’s some CO2 in here and a structural, mineral style – ultra-mineral for a PC – which makes for the austerity. The last flavours of the finish are delicious though.
2022 Clotilde Davenne, Petit Chablis
A base that’s reductive. In the mouth I like the shape and the energy – yes there’s a little reductive rigour (austerity) – so carafe. But this has a lovely width of tasty finishing flavour.
2022 Marsoif, Petit Chablis Sur la Goulerotte
Nice high tones with minerality and salinity. Large across the palate, there’s depth to this mineral flavour, silkiness too. Super wine.
2022 Venon, Petit Chablis Tout d’un Grand
Fresh width, quite saline again. Rounder in the mouth with a hint of CO2 – almost foamy! But the finishing flavour is deliciously involving. I’d probably carafe this too – but not for reduction this time 😊
2022 Fourrey, Petit Chablis
A small nose – but suggesting the minerality and salinity of many others- Extra CO2 in this case too. There is a small reduction but relatively tiny.The easy, open finishing flavours are lovely.
2022 Courtault-Michelet, Petit Chablis
Hmm – more aromatic dimensions here – that’s lovely! Direct, mouth-waterinly mineral flavours – a hint of reduction. Precise, pure, finishing flavour – carafe/decant – but this is clearly excellent, potentially even better!
Open, airy, clearly mineral at the base – but coldly mineral and showing practically no fruit. Incisive, linear and mineral – but melting with juicy accents of citrus complexity. Absolutely deliciously finishing with great complexity – I love it – it will also benefit from decanting. Bravo.
2022 Olivier Tricon, Petit Chablis
Extra breadth of aroma – almost textured. Large scaled in the mouth with a texture of citrus bitters and generous but fresh citrus fruit. The finish holds very well. A super wine.
2022 Soupé, Petit Chablis
Good aromatic volume but with a hint of reduction. Super width of flavour – almost that foamy, bubbly style seen in some others. Sweet but not too ripe fruit. Long and tasty – another super wine.
2022 Gérard Tremblay, Petit Chablis
A nice vibration of aroma – but it’s a tight aroma. Some generosity to this flavour – ripeness and reduction too. Very tasty wine – but carafe…
A nicely airy and salne width of aroma, not with an obvious reduction. Clean, wide, delicious, flavours with a slight generosity, notably open – indeed expansive. Maybe I’d like a bit more energy – but what beautiful, concentrated, involving flavours. Potentially a great one!
2022 Vincent Wengier, Petit Chablis
Also a nicely open nose – just a little more incisive. Riper citrus at the core and a small, almost gentian style accent to the fruit. But wide and tasty wine.
2022 Pascal Bouchard, Petit Chablis Blancs Cailloux
Airy, quite precise notes of citrus – nice. There’s extra CO2 here – but not too overdone. Mobile flavour, mouth-watering flavour. Holding a lovely clean line in this finish too. That’s lovely.
2022 Barat, Petit Chablis Le Padabu
The central reduction on this nose characteristic of many. Beautiful scale and clarity with cool minerality but with that mineral reduction that begs a carafe. The finish subtly wider and really tasty – with the help of a carafe this could be a more than excellent wine.
A deeper citrus but with fine aromatic clarity. Really broad and with extra citrus complexity – here is more of an agrume style, even a little orange-flesh fruit. I love this slowly fading finish! Certainly excellent, potentially great.
2022 des Hâtes, Petit Chablis
Here’s a more overtly saline aromatic. Supple, quite silky wine – ripe fruited and mouth-watering. The finish is a beautiful line of calmly delivered citrus – it’s the best part here!
2022 L&C Poitout, Petit Chablis Sycamore
Fresh top notes and a depth that suggests a little reduction. Broad and quite incisive over the palate – the central flavour is indeed reductive and brings some rigour – but the flavour melts engagingly over the palate – another delicious finish but also another wine that needs a carafe.
2022 L&C Poitout, Petit Chablis
A saline and slightly reductive nose. Mouth-filling – fine shape and energy – but the flavour is a little too reductive – almost austere. The last flavours in the finish are pretty and complex – carafe again…
2022 Louis Robin, Petit Chablis
Broad and fresh – a mineral-citrus hybrid of a nose. Large scale and really energetic. There is reduction but on a much smaller level – but still enough to make a small, negative, difference. This finish with an extra lick of salinity.
2022 47°N 3°E, Petit Chablis
Open, fresh, mineral, even a suggestion of floral – which usually means no reduction!! In the mouth, depth and mobility to this ripe yellow citrus. The finish is more about the fruit – but delicious fruit – his could be excellent!
2022 J. Moreau & Fils, Petit Chablis Bio
Hmm – that’s a nice nose too – it’s got citrus clarity and more than a suggestion of clean minerality too. Broad and fresh over the palate – melting with pretty flavours – the citrus ripe but not quite exotic and always delivered with freshness – this finish is a beauty!
2022 J. Moreau & Fils, Petit Chablis
A smaller but seemingly fine and precise citrus nose. Hmm, that has lovely scale in the mouth – cool, complex flavour and a delicious wide wave of finishing interest – I love this – simply excellent wine.
2022 Baudouin Millet, Petit Chablis
Open top notes, fresh, narrower in the middle – but a cleanly attractive nose. In the mouth to – energy – mouth-filling fun from the complex flavours. It’s a delicious finish too – another simply lovely wine.
Vibrant saline and with a pretty depth of citrus too. Cool, direct, juicy ripe citrus – that’s another mouthful of delicious wine – The finish is a beauty – yes!
2022 La Fontaine de Chaule, Petit Chablis Alexandre Fefeu
Airy width – seems nice an clean. Lots of mouth-filling energy – certainly a hint of CO2. But the finishing flavours are wide and delicious too – particularly here!
2022 Besson, Petit Chablis
Some cleanly attractive top notes but the base of this aroma is much tighter. Extra CO2 – but not reduced! A long line of tasty finishing flavour. Another simply delicious wine.
2022 Jean Jacquin, Petit Chablis
Also a tighter nose – there’s some ripeness of citrus at the base of this aroma though. A little harder structure some rigour – this time without an overt reduction. But the finish is a nice, slowly fading one.
2022 Boussard, Petit Chablis
A narrower nose but one with a clean freshness. Supple – broad but fresh and mobile flavour – that’s a lovely flavour – delicious! What an excellent, lovely wine!
2022 Louis Moreau, Petit Chablis
Nice freshness but here with a modest but welcome floral accent too. Some CO2 and a faintly chalky texture. The finish has a lovely mouth-watering citrus intensity. Again delicious!
A deeper nose, some minerality, some reduction. Here there’s a super width of flavour – energetic, complex intense, and even though there’s the small reduction I’m finding this a next level wine – bravo!
2022 Ventoura, Petit Chablis
A deep nose, again with some reductive elements. Large in scale – really mouth-filling. Supple and with fine concentration. Some pretty citrus bitters in this finish – a lovely finish!
2022 Alain Mathias, Petit Chablis
Creamy wax-topped. A less sweet nose – here there’s more salinity. Ooh – but that’s rather good – it’s mineral – but with multiple dimensions of flavour. Fluid, complex, slightly reductive today but finishing with a little orange agrume – a beauty!
2022 Alain Geoffroy, Petit Chablis
Bright, vibrant citrus depth that’s lovely. Plenty of CO2 but a broad and complex agrume here – almost zesty. Long and fine on a pure finishing note – this is excellent!
2022 Hamelin, Petit Chablis
A more airy nose but it seems clean – it’s certainly inviting! In the mouth a little zesty interest. And a good finish.
2022 Charlène & Laurent Pinson, Petit Chablis
Open but suggesting some reduction. Broad over the palate and with tons of flavour. No overt reduction and a width of finely fading finishing flavour. That’s a pretty wine!
2022 Domaine Laroche, Petit Chablis
A calm nose – not so many higher tones. Mouth-filling enregy – some zesty fun here too. The finish fine and direct once more – delicious!
2022 La Motte, Petit Chablis
Hmm – a little extra width with some florals in this case. Cool, more mineral – lovely energy – again a slightly agrume style to this citrus – I think it’s super – what a lovely finish!
2022 des Perregrins, Petit Chablis Gamme Archives
A calm nose but of clean, fine citrus interest. Lots of CO2 – but there’s energy from the wine itself too. Another with some delicious complex bitters – orange fleshed fruit included. Super!
2022 des Perregrins, Petit Chablis Gamme Chroniques
A broad nose of freshness and salinity. Hmm – I like the scale and silky texture of this. Complex, delicious citzrus bitters – what a lovely, zesty, delicious wine. Simply excellent!
2022 Isabelle & Denis Pommier, Petit Chablis Hautérivien
Also a good freshness of citrus – a lightly sweet impression. Good scale again – some reductive rigour to these flavours. Finishing in pretty and tasty style though – long too!
2022 Milcent, Petit Chablis
Ooh – another lovely nose – not so wide but deep and invitingly citrussy and complex. Another that’s mouth-filling and energetic – more overtly mineral in this case. Super finishing but I’d wait a couple of years for this – I think it will be even better then!
2022 Charly Nicolle, Petit Chablis
A little extra width of fresh citrus energy. Fine scale again, just a hint rounder, very fine texture despite a little chalky accent. Long. Mouth-watering, almost juicy and delicious – that’s another excellent wine!