Tasted in Ligny-le-Châtel with Jérôme, 18 January 2024.
Domaine Garnier & Fils
Chemin de Méré
89144 Ligny-le-Châtel
Tel: + 33 3 86 47 42 12
www.chablis-garnier.com
Domaine Instagram
More reports with Domaine Garnier & Fils
Jérôme on 2023:
“I’m happy because we made a good volume – but possibly it won’t be the vintage of the century. We’re used to making a lower rendement than many so are less comfortable when it goes over 60 hl/ha and it’s a vintage that has a lower acidity – but right now when tasting you don’t note it – and there is lots of elevage to come so let’s see. 2023 was our third year of conversion to organic – so our 2024 wines will be labelled organic – the domaine wines. We planted 5 ha of vines – some Petit Chablis comes online in 2024 and a little over 3 ha of new Chablis comes into production in 2025.”
Jérôme on 2022:
“Genial! I think it’s a vintage with a lovely balance. In 2019, 2020 and 2021 we had some nice wines. We won’t hide the fact that we’re happy to have some juice too. We don’t like always telling clients that there’s no wine. This vintage we have two new wines – a Bourgogne Côte d’Auxerre and a Bourgogne Aligoté – these are contracts with a new young vigneron in the area of St.Bris”
The wines…
Consistently towards the top of the pile each year – fewer ‘great wines’ in 2022 but excellent wines – that’s the vintage.
From now there will be no more capsules on the bottles, just a small wax top over the cork – only the Petit Chablis has a DIAM seal, for all the rest it’s Trescases cork, the grand crus sealed with NDtec corks. “At least three weeks after the bottling is the ideal time to add the wax seal as the cork takes its time to settle into position:”
All pinot, bottled in December
Forward, bright and complex – that’s got a nicely implied texture too. Mouth-filling, juicy, nicely complex – even a little saline finishing – there’s concentration here too. I find lovely! That’s a great local Bourgogne!
2022 Bourgogne Epineuil
Elevage and bottling like the previous.
A fine width, just a little more airy aromatics. Plenty of volume and intensity – really mouth-watering – the acidity is more present here. Hmm – love this intensity in the finish. Simply excellent!
Les whites:
2022 Aligote Mont Embrasé
First vintage – all hand harvested. All wood elevage but with barrel multiple sizes
This nose is fresh and has energy, maybe a little licorice too. Supple, round but ultra-delicious and finishing with some quite pronounced salinity. I like!
2022 Petit Chablis
There’s more fresh depth to this nose. Broader, also supple but with a little more structural approach. Juicy and modestly intense finishing – I love this finish, clean and acidulated. Simply super!
The largest part of the production, an assembly of all the parcels – about 19 hectares. 20% foudres here – it’s that same number of foudres as 2021 when they used 30% – but that was just because the volume of wine was lower! The amount of hand-harvested fruit grows in this cuvée every year. There are usually 3 bottlings of this, the last in April-May
That’s a classy nose – of architecture and volume – top! Fluid, clean, juicy wine – with some concentration to balance the fluidity too. That’s a great villages – bravo – beautifully finishing!
2022 Chablis Grains d’Orée
Bottling a little earlier as there wasn’t any in 2021…
A broader more citrus freshness. Some gas, but these are large-scale flavours in the mouth – some additional barrel generosity and extra zest – the finish fading, almost floral-mineral. A beautiful wine.
The premiers all see elevage in demi-muids of 600-litres – “We try to keep to one vigneron, one parcel:“
2022 Chablis 1er Beauroy
8th vintage. Working with 2 vignerons, Troesmes and Côte de Savant – foudre and large-format barrels
A slightly warm barrel note but this is an inviting nose. In the mouth we have incisive wine, beautifully melting fine flavour over the palate – the barrel is more notable in the the middle and finishing flavours – so be patient for 2-3 years. It’s otherwise a beautiful wine – fabulous finishing!
2022 Chablis 1er Vaillons
Organic contract from the end of Epinottes near Roncières.
Wide and open – lovely citrus even a little white flesh. A little gas increases the energy – but still, what energy – the barrel is visible but more in the background vs the Beauroy. Just a joy to drink – longer too. Yes!
2022 Chablis 1er Montmains
Also organic – this contract delivered in must, like their Mont de Milieu
Cooler freshness – this nose is just so inviting. More structure, more impact but these mineral flavours melt over the palate – just so welcoming and delicious. The oak is subtle but still present – wait 2 years – it is clearly excellent!
2022 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
An assembly of wine from 2 vignerons.
Less large but pure and more floral. Rounder, a more overt complexity, lots of citrus styles in this complexity. Wide and layered – like the rest of the wine not a forceful or powerful wine just a wine that holds impressive length in a calm, contemplative, fashion.
2022 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
2 vignerons again but they are neighbours in Homme Mort
A vibrant, almost zesty aromatic. In the mouth too – lots more mouth-filling than the Mont de Milieu the energy of the wine pushing its shape larger. The oak is very subtle in the finish. I would keep all of these for 2-3 years before opening to let the wood fade.
2022 Chablis Vaudesir
Larger scale nose – more sweetly floral – like honeysuckle. Panoramic, and more generous. This has a beautiful texture and a partly hidden structure. Mouth-wateringly delicious, quite sweet finishing – but that’s the fruit that is dominating the finish today. Long and also a little contemplative. Lovely wine.
Ooh – that’s a wine that stops you – so deep and mineral – almost reductive citrus skin. This is next level in terms of complexity and intensity – vibrantly intense finishing – that’s a great wine in the finish. Probably a great wine overall too!