Tasted with Géraldine Bontemps, 11 March 2024 in Les Vauroux.
Domaine de Vauroux
Route d’Avallon
Les Vauroux
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 10 37
www.domainedevauroux.fr
Domaine Instragram
What a beautiful location – set on high with views back towards Chablis – but to all intents and purposes, hidden away…
There are actually 3 domaines here, all starting with an agricultural domaine that began by raising sheep. The domaine was 50 years old in 2022 and it mainly exports its wines – nearly 80% – with the largest market being Japan. “Locally, you won’t find any of our wine,” says Géraldine, “The market around here is sufficiently saturated with Chablis!”
Started in 1972 by Jean-Pierre & Claude Tricon – father and uncle of Olivier Tricon – Domaine de Vauroux is what started with sheep and it’s the ‘proper’ domaine here, today with 30 hectares of vines, producing over 200k bottles per year. Then there’s Maison Oliver Tricon which also has 5 ha of vines but also buys in bulk, as would a traditional maison… Olivier Tricon Viti is a third ‘leg’ with 7 hectares of domaine vines but sells everything in bulk…
Géraldine on 2022:
“22 – yes an easy vintage to work – the dryness and heat of the vintage made for a very clean harvest.”
The wines…
A new address but with many excellent wines – a great find !!
The seals here are a mix DIAM-style and cork…:
2022 Bourgogne Aligoté (Tricon)
Vines between Auxerre & St.Bris
Clean, pretty – a little floral, even – it’s a nicely vibrant aromatic invitation. Fine shape in the mouth, silky, and slowly mouth-watering as it gathers intensity. The finish with a small, extra kick of minerality. That’s a simply excellent Aligoté
2022 Bourgogne Chardonnay (Vauroux)
Plateau vines – like Petit Chablis
Mineral – a little more direct, narrower but precise citrus. A suggestion of gas – but a fine scale of mouth-filling citrus-led flavour here. Like the Aligoté sleek and precise – Lovely wine. Delicious too!
Now all Vauroux:
From the plateau above Valmur
Here there’s an extra aromatic coolness – slightly floral, fine yellow citrus – that’s a great invitation. Extra scale, ultra mineral – the taste of the sea – mineral and saline. It’s an ultra-classic, fine-textured, mouth-watering PC – bravo!
2022 Chablis
The largest cuvée of the domaine
Less scale to this aroma but no less class or precision. A suggestion of gas – Lovely intensity that builds, becoming juicy in the middle and finish – but the flavours here are both supple and fluid. Then finishing beautifully – that’s a fine, classic, excellent wine.
2022 Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre
All tank elevage.
Hmm – that’s an invitation – aromas that are more floral, yellow-fruited and elegant. Hmm- that’s beautiful – mouth-filling, mineral, juicy – maybe because of the (lack of barrel!) elevage, this is not a large-scale wine but it’s a beautiful wine, hauntingly, if with modest intensity, long. A simply excellent wine – I love it!
2022 Chablis 1er Montmains
Mainly Forêts in this cuvée
Good width, a little less forward but that’s following Montée de Tonnerre, faintly accented with salinity. Extra impact – cool, mineral, oh yes, this merits its place in the tasting order – this has extra concentration and mineral width – the finish, is mouth-watering and persistent. I love this too!
2022 Chablis 1er Beauroy
Narrower aroma but with a more energetic, sherbet top note. This, also, has a fine, mineral – you could say classic – style. A slightly more plush middle flavour – but which brings additional complexity. Slowly fading, small waves of fine finishing contemplation, always faintly mineral. Like the previous wines – I would enjoy drinking them right away – even enjoying the small austerity – but with these you should probably wait 2-3 years and then as long as you wish…
2022 Chablis Bougros
Half the parcel has pulled out 3 years ago for replanting. A little less than 0.5 ha in total here. 228-l barrels between 2-4 years old.
Hmm – not the incisive quality of many of the previous but this slightly rounder aroma has no overtly oaked characteristics. More concentration and a silky presence too – subtly saline – there are more layers of flavour to this concentration. The flavour is broad but still needs time – yet well done for the lack of ‘oak flavour!’ That’s going to be a super wine.
2023 Chablis Vin Nature
First made in the 22 vintage to celebrate 50 years of the domaine – they liked it so there’s a 2023 too – not yet bottled:
Still a little suspended lees and a little of the citrus-style bitters – this is attractively zesty. Mouth-filling, energetic, rounder than the ‘almost’ strict 2022s – a very agrume finish – all from the VV parcel of the domaine.