Tasted in Chablis with Grégory Viennois, 31 March 2021.
Domaine Laroche
L’Obédiencerie
22 rue Louis Bro
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 89 00
www.larochewines.com
More reports for Domaine Laroche
Gregory on 2019:
“Not really an easy vintage – certainly following the heat and dry of previous vintages – the reserve of water was on the low side. The weather around flowering time was a little cold, so there was some millerandes and coulure – not the best flowering. The spring was cool but still dry – probably because of those things, we had a smaller volume harvest. August was nice weather and we harvested about 10 September – we worried that we might have heavy wines but not at all. We weren’t the first harvesters in 2019, like we were in 18 because we were waiting for some ‘de-blockage’ of maturity in some places but with 100 harvesters and 6 presses we were done in 11 days instead of our normal 15 – really the best moment to pick was essential. I think a style somewhere between 2014 and 2017 for energy and tension – a bit more colour to the wines. I think the potential to keep the wines for a long time…”
The wines…
Possibly my later timing to taste this year, but I noted the oak in these wines much more than I usually do at this address – likewise these wines seemingly less tannic than many in 2019 – there are still plenty of great wines though!
The last 2019 wine to be bottled will be done this week. Practically all the corks here are NDTech – i.e. an Amorim product that is individually tested to guarantee them TCA free:
2019 Bourgogne Chardonnay
Vines in the Mâconnais and l’Yonne. No wood.
A width and weight of aroma. Round, supple, plenty of concentration. Layers of tasty rich fruit but with excellent mouth-watering balance. Delicious.
Very different, almost a smoky width of minerality. More incisive, bright, delicious – lots of zesty, salted complexity – that’s a super villages Chablis – bravo!
2019 Domaine, Chablis St.Martin
Usually an assembly of about 42 hectares from 60 hectares, with separate elevage – many terroirs – using old foudres 15% for the elevage. The aim is to add a little density. Never the same parcels used, always selected blind.
A nose with more depth. The flavour too – more concentrated, more density – but not dense. There’s lots of flavour complexity – detail – here. Vibrant finishing. I like the airy style of the previous more – but maybe not if I go back to it after this! Simply excellent.
5th vintage, selected from 6.5 ha below Les Lys. The vines are over 75 years old. Elevage in foudre then finished in stainless steel with all the lees. Vieille Voye reflects the nearby Roman Road. September bottled.
A more airy nose, saline and floral too. Open, airy, but super intense too. That’s great, great – saline finishing. Bravo.
2019 Domaine, Chablis 1er Les Vaudevey
An overt note of barrel and a rounder style. Wide, impressive, not oaky in the mouth. A wine with a super energy – the oak showing just a little in the finish – that’s a great wine but keep it in the cellar for 2-3 years for that oak to fade…
2019 Domaine, Chablis 1er Beauroy
A vibrant nose but also showing a slug of barrel. Round, concentrated, lovely depth to this minerality – a burly wine but with much on offer. The finish more calm, wide but also intense – no oak showing here.
2019 Chablis 1er Côte de Lechet
Only 0.20 ha at the domaine – 10k plants per hectare – that’s HD for here.
No oak, vibrant citrus and a really nice depth of aroma. Open, mouth-filling, beautiful energy, growing in flavour intensity. Really wide and intense finishing – that’s great here – a little rigour for sure to this structure – keep it in your cellar for a couple of years before attacking.
2019 Chablis 1er Vaillons
80% Roncières and some Chatains
Pure but with more aromatic cushioning, a rounder wine. Wide, slowly mouth-filling – a clarity and energy. Fine intensity, here the impression of a little barrel in the finish. Excellent wine…
All from Montmains – the higher part – 45-year-old vines.
A roundness of aroma again but a purity of ripe yellow citrus too. Vibrant, perfumed, energetic wine – cool and mineral – a great combination. Great.
Second vintage – domaine – 16-year-old vines, the young vines previously in generic 1er cru or Champs Martin, half a hectare.
Here the oak is showing on the nose – not quite dominating but ‘present.’ The palate has a certain personality, a presence – growing wider and wider with agrume, almost blood-orange fruit bias to the agrumes in the finish. I’d be waiting for that oak to depart but really a great wine.
2019 Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre
From Chapelots
An oaky but complex and completely attractive nose. Fine attack, mineral in width – super intensity – it’s a mouth-watering wine. Long, oaky in this finish too but the shape and energy of this wine are really super. Keep 2-3 years before revisiting…
2019 Domaine, Chablis 1er Fourchaume Vieilles Vignes
This a tank sample but the wine was actually bottled today. Mainly from Homme Mort
There’s a bit of oak though lower intensity – but a simply super vibrancy of mineral aroma. This is wide and energetic, slightly golden fruited long, slowly fading flavour
The barrel is much more discreet – here with a little attractive floral accent. Energy, clarity, minerality – bravo – that’s such a brilliantly mouth-watering wine, faintly zesty at the death…
2019 Chablis Cuvée 0
The vin ‘nature’ – Bottled March 2020
A round nose, of ripe yellow citrus, almost golden, warm stones. Hmm – energy, intensity, properly Chablis but with a different style to the fruit, almost mirabelle but with better acidic definition. That’s completely delicious.
2019 Domaine, Chablis Les Bouguerots
Bottled December. All demi-muids – 600 litres. High density planting – for here – 10k
An airy, complex nose almost faintly spiced – equally faintly floral too. Round, but there’s cut and energy here, vibrant, mineral, herbed in the finish. Long finishing – a purity here. A certain discretion to this wine – but it seems to have everything.
2019 Domaine, Chablis Les Blanchots
Bottled February, 7 different parcels – 4.5 hectares.
A nose that starts small, faintly oaked but then bursts forward with a fine, cushioned, floral note. Wide, herbed complexity again – more forward energy here – the oak showing in the middle – but a fine clarity. Wait 3 years for the oak to fade – it’s quite clear in the finishing flavours.
2019 Domaine, Chablis Les Clos
Some oak but a nice vibration of aroma in the depth. Here is a mouth-filling and nicely energetic wine – not too much. Broad and nicely shaped flavour – delicious but without anything special. Proper, tasty excellent wine – harmony without anything specific to show.
2019 Domaine, Chablis Blanchots Reserve de l’Obediance
Always the best tasting parcels – blind.
A width of fresh, slightly cushioned, minerality – framed with a floral extra. Really a floral-perfume-infused minerality an intensity, a wine that’s really of width rather than direct – faintly fading, always mineral.