Tasted in Chablis with Hervé Tucki 15 April, 2014.
La Chablisienne
8 boulevard Pasteur
89800 CHABLIS
Tel. +33 (0)3 86 42 89 89
+33 (0)3 86 42 89 89
www.chablisienne.com
I like Hervé, he stands up close and personal, he enters your personal space, but he does so while clearly try to infect you with his enthusiasm for his work at La Chablisienne. It’s hard to get your mind around, but the Chablisienne Coop accounts for roughly 25% of the output of Chablis – a Coop like no other – producing close to 6 million bottles per year; about 30 cuvées culled from over 1,250 hectares.
Herve on the Coops’s wines:
“The wines of La Chablisienne speak of Chablis. Wines of contact between the soil and terroir.” The wines that follow were either already in bottle or assembled for bottling.
Frankly it was hard for me to single-out particular wines given the overall high standard here. In the end I chose something cheap and some in the mid-range but it could really have been many more…
Higher altitude vines planted on Portlandian. The only wine in the range that sees zero wood during elevage.
It starts with a hint of sulfur – but it’s quickly a memory. Fresh with energy and intensity – oof! – it even grows in intensity a little after your swallow. This is super.
14-16 months of elevage ‘It would be a shame to cut that short’.
Here there is more aromatic depth and a green-skinned fruit. Joyous acidity and growing, mouth-watering flavour. Super!
2012 Chablis Les Vénérables
“A wine with roots!” says Hervé, as the vines have a minimum 35 years of age. The elevage here is 18 months, some in barrel.
The nose is a little more modest but also rounder.In the mouth this is less explosive but shows more width and a growing, growing intensity. Salinity even. Longer. Hmm… A contemplative wine.
2012 Chablis 1er Côte de Léchet
The nose starts with a very faint reduction – but then it’s gone – super depth of aroma. In the mouth there is width and more scale, versus the Vénérables, and an extra ‘pop’ of flavour in the mid-palate. I love the finish.
From three locations, including La Fôret and Butteaux.
Rounder aromas. This is more lithe, fine and mineral. It moves beautifully across the tongue with steely, cool flavour. Simply gorgeous.
2012 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
There are three different Fourchaume cuvées from Fourchaume.
The nose is more mineral though quite modest. More density, this is very round but without the perfect texture of the last wine. Yet, it opens out beautifully in the finish.
2012 Chablis 1er Vaulorent
Also could be called Fourchaume, this is the only 1er cru that is adjacent to the grand crus – in this case Preuses. “It’s neither a Preuses nor a Fourchaume, it is a Vaulorent” notes Hervé, also saying “I love this from 4-5 years of age”.
A fine but rather modest aromatic. There is a little more texture, a little more fat. Deeper, finer flavour that is more Montmains than Fourchaume in style. Simply lovely.
2012 Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre
The nose is rather shy though faintly redolent of the sea. Lovely shape in the mouth and with super concentration in the middle too. This is not a super-energetic wine, rather an introspective wine.
Facing plain south – “If Mont de Milieu isn’t ripe, then nothing is in Chablis” notes Hervé, “There really is an outstanding minerality from this wine with 10-15 years of age.”
Here there is more aromatic depth and a few added herb notes. Fresher, cool fruit with super width and a very fine length – this is a beauty.
2012 Chablis Preuses
The nose is round and has super depth too – there’s a hint of oak and lemon-fruit too. Round, with a super growing intensity – you can feel the extra dimension of flavour. Absolutely the longest finish (so far). Excellent
2012 Chablis Château Grenouilles
There re seven proprietors here, but La Chablisienne holds 80% of the vineyard – bought in 2003.
There is depth but more width to the aromas.Steely, fresh and with a growing intensity. There’s the impression of real, extra extract in the mid-palate. A real density of flavour remains with you after swallowing. Super!