Tasted with Céline & Jeremy Venon and family, 07 April 2019 – the second morning of the big frost…
Domaine Venon et Fils
10 rue des Prégirots, Fleys
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 6 60 38 87 08
www.jeremyvenon.com
Here’s another domaine that I chose to visit after tasting some great 2019 Petit Chablis from them, back in January.
2014 was the first vintage here – Jeremy had been working a courtier – but he’s based in Prehy and surrounded by many other winemakers who he went to school with. “I’ve always lived in this street – if not always the same house! The main road through Prehy is often seen as dangerous, so Prehy has always seemed split in two – the people whole live above the Route Nationale and those who live below – I’m from below,” he smiles.
In terms of the family’s vineyard land, there are still some areas to plant, which will extend to 7 hectares when all is done – there’s only a little more than 3 hectares currently in production. “Our Markets are a lot of restaurants and mainly France – we always wanted to be working with good restaurants.” There is some export – Japan and US for instance.
The wines…
Clearly some very lovely wines here – and they sell to ‘passers-by’…
All the wines are sealed with DIAM:
2019 Chablis
This, a tank sample. From Fleys 1.4 ha looking towards Chichée. All tank elevage.
That’s a proper sea-shore nose – saline – rare even in 2019. Lovely shape in the mouth with a citrus intensity. Properly mineral a little iodine style to the finishing flavour, faintly finishing with a citrus skin impression.
2019 Chablis l’Expression
Vines next to Fourneau 1er. Here with a little barrel elevage too – 30% but 4 to 5-year-old barrels. This bottled in December.
A little fuller – not an overt impression of oak, perhaps a faint spice. Ooh – that’s a super wine – cool-fruited width, mineral in style, playing beautifully over the palate. A persistence of fine citrus in the finish. That’s a delicious and really excellent Chablis.
2018 Petit Chablis Tout D’un Grand
A nicely floral accent to this citrus nose. Nice shape in the mouth, a small grain of tannin at the base. I like the energy here and that’s definitely a Chablis style to this wine. A lovely and direct-finishing mineral line to complete this wine. I would say a little young! Bravo PC, particularly 2018…
Hmm – that’s nicely floral too – a very inviting nose. Width and minerality – a vibrant middle flavour too, a more grapefruit accented agrume. I Find this a top 2018!
2018 Chablis l’Inattendue
A bit more oak in the elevage here – one-third.
Here’s a floral accent again but with a modest accent of barrel too. Bright, wide and intense – that’s again a nice grapefruit style – more penetrating in this style with a fine finish. This for keeping a couple of years – but deliciously flavoured.
2017 Petit Chablis Tout D’un Grand
Lots of freshness – a little more greenery here – some herb and lime. The most direct, mouth-watering, almost juicy wine – there’s citrus juice in here! Still a baby – that’s a lovely wine.
A depth of aroma – with freshness, the accent of lime again, here with a little more complexity – more the elevage than the age I think – aeration brings extra clarity. Ooh – that’s a great mouth-filling wine – of energy, of clarity too. Finely mineral. Classic Chablis style in terms of intensity and energy, still with lots of development potential. The deliciousness of previous wines with the extra classic structural style. Bravo Chablis.