Tasted in Préhy with Clotilde Davenne, 31 January 2024.
Domaine Clotilde Davenne
3, rue de Chantemerle
89800 Préhy
Tel: +33 3 86 41 46 05
www.clotildedavenne.fr
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Clotilde on the last vintages:
“In 2022 we harvested very early – I always try to harvest early enough to not pass 13° – in 2023 we did some early and some later. There were a couple of 2022 wines that were slow to finish fermenting – only the St.Bris VV is not yet bottled because of that. 2022 was a bit harder to ferment than the 23s – mainly because the malos tried to ferment before the alcolholics were done, Fortunately, it was more orderly in 2023. In both vintages the pHs were quite high but the actual acidity is quite good !!”
The wines…
A delicious range from Clotilde in 2022 – many are excellent, in particular her Chablis which flirt with greatness for the vintage.
Except for when you specify screw-caps almost all the wines have a DIAM-style of closure. Clotilde has started using DIAM Mytik for their crémant.
2022 Bourgogne Aligoté
A good width of aroma – slightly savoury. Round, easy, there is some generosity here and a very faint reduction but good flavour too. A little salinity and extra width in the finish – that’s a nice finish and with a little chalky texture.
2022 Bourgogne Aligoté Vieilles-Vignes
80 yo vines from St.Bris from Les Rosiers
A little more direct and intense nose. Hmm, cooler and with more energy. Broad, some slightly reductive rigour. More impressive structure and quite a bit more salinity – I really like this finish – keep the wine 2-3 years then enjoy – it’s going to be excellent.
2022 St.Bris La Préferé
Fresh and perfumed – the sauvignon side of this wine is very discreet – it’s just a nicely inviting, floral perfumed wine. In the mouth it’s less discreet! But good shape and generosity to this flavour but always with plenty of energy to balance the concentration. The finish only slowly fading – that’s a very tasty wine!
2022 St.Bris Vieilles-Vignes
Vines of over 100-years-old from the climats of Loigny, Les Clous and Les Rosiers
A much broader nose – extra expressive and complex – that’s very nice. In the mouth – more intense and clearly less generous – but there’s a zing of intense, energetic flavour here. Super-vibrant finishing – I love that finish!!
Two parcels of old vines – 70-years-old – since 2018 in the domaine.
Any airy, attractively perfumed nose – far from forceful but still a good invitation. Lots of width to this flavour, almost incisive citrus with just a hint of zestiness. A lovely, lovely finish, calm but complex – almost elegant. Bravo.
2022 Petit Chablis
1994 vines in Prehy in Les Temps Paradis
Nice – directly quite a saline nose. Nice shape in the mouth too – plenty of juicy energy. A small reductive rigour today but the finish is juicy and very tasty. Keep it a year before opening – and/or take a carafe.
2022 Chablis
South-facing vines in Courgis’ Vaudelune
A slightly larger nose with a more overt perfume. Incisive, you could say linear – real Chablis minerality on display here. Almost a small strictness – I like ! Super with a slowly melting aspect to the finishing flavours. That’s super.
2022 Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
Vines in the same location as the previous cuvée but here a minimum of 55-years-old.
Here there is more width to the wine’s perfume. More width in the mouth too – this really is a wine of scale – and a super, slowly fading citrus note that has fine clarity – that’s simply an excellent wine – and delicious too.
2022 Chablis 1er Vau de Vey
Less scale but more complexity vs the previous VV. Ultra mineral – bravo – that’s rare in 2022. Juicy, panoramic flavours. Certainly stricter but fading in fine mouth-watering style – an excellent 2022!
2022 Chablis 1er Montmains
40-year-old vines in Courgis, from the bottom of Montmains.
Also fresh and wide, a hint softer I think vs the last. Super scale and minerality again – wow cool intensity for the vintage. Very slowly fading with gorgeous citrus clarity and complexity. Yes! Not quite delicious – not yet – but it will be!
2022 Chablis 1er Vaucoupin
Bought from same producer each year. Plain-south-facing – a small parcel
A softer and more overtly perfumed nose – it’s very lovely. Also an incisive 1er – large scaled and juicy with melting flavour over the palate. The most sustained finish but I found that of the Montamins more involving today – still a very excellent wine!
Les Rouges:
2022 Bourgogne Côte d’Auxerre
Also from Les Rosiers in St.Bris
Here is an airy top note but a much deeper and slightly smoky base to the aromas. There is good scale to this wine in the mouth – the flavours framed by some slightly drying tannin – but with hardly any grain. The flavours are full of oak today so I wouldn’t hesitate to wait up to 3 years for this – but the finish eases over the palate in nice style.
A full nose, almost cushioned in texture – complex and inviting. This like the last a tank sample. Full in the mouth – that’s rather good, some framing of the flavour with barrel but this is still a delicious thing. That is excellent and it’s potentially even better than that but you should wait at least until 2026 for the oak to fade.