Tasted with just Michel Laroche in Chablis – Margaux was away – 08 April 2022.
Le Domaine d’Henri
Route d’Auxerre
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 40 65 17
ledomainedhenri.fr
More reports with Domaine d’Henri
Michel on this year’s frost versus 2021:
“There could be 2/3rds that are damaged – obviously more in the areas that are not protected. If we were to compare with 2021, certainly the vines were less advanced this year than last year, so that helps but they were advanced enough to cause lots of problems. Last year the worst for us was Petit Chablis and we made 5 hl/ha – all the buds were open for these… We have 5 ha that are fully protected with aspersion they brought about 30 hl/ha but it was still 14 nights we had to run the sprays in 2021, the end result was 17 hl/ha…”
Michel on 2020:
“In 2020 we made 40 hl/ha and that’s our historical average here – so we are happy enough – it was also a similar volume in 2019. The premier crus are not yet bottled. We don’t fine and we don’t filter so we will bottle those in the next months…”
The wines…
2020 is a great vintage at this address – buy them if you can find them!
For the bottling there are some wines with screw-cap, the rest are DIAM5 – some DIAM10 and even some DIAM30 – ‘though maybe the latter is a little too ‘tight’’ says Margaux:
Parcels near Montee de Tonnerre and facing Blanchots – 3 terroirs. Roughly 20-25% with elevage in wood. A part of this has been bottled.
That’s got a fine freshness – very aromatic – almost a little grapefruit complexity. Broad but mouth-watering, citrus energy and fine tension. Great and very long finishing – that’s more than excellent villages – bravo!
In Beauroy, not easy to sell under this name. ‘Lots of court noué here so a lot of small grapes and therefore concentration – of sugar too – so a challenge to harvest with maturity but still acidity.’ South-facing on SO4 which is always early harvesting – this ready a week before many other vines.
Very pure – a clarity of very fine fruit – agrume – towards grapefruit again. Broad, fuller. Open and energetic – great clarity of flavour here. Fluid – brilliant wine – bravo! Great finishing – with a little extra sweetness here.
2020 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
5.5 hectares! In 6 parcels aged between 80 and 30 years old. This a small cuvée with fermentation in tank but then further elevage in amphora.
Here’s an extra ripeness to the fruit – more lemon than agrume complexity. Beautiful width and mouth-filling freshness again – what a great range so far! The slightly golden-fruit style of Fourchaume is visible but also with a suggestion of the barrels which brings an additional cushion. Long again – tart au citron with a little crème anglaise from the barrel. Keep a little while but here is fine class.
We don’t make this single parcel wine every year – they have 6 parcels in Fourchaume, this planted in 1970 on a steep section – there’s 2 hectares here, another – the next wine – 150 meteres away planted in 1937. A mix of jars and large-format barrels about 70% in tank.
An extra freshnessand incisiveness of aromatic here – again fine yellow citrus. Showing more structure and extra shape to this wine – I love. A rolling and impressively large wave of finishing flavour. Great finishing, great wine!
Grandfather always called this Ardillieres a word indicating argilles – clay – the soil’s a little different here. This parcel of vines planted in 1937. Only 150 meters from the previous parcel
Not as fully open as the previous wine but still with super aromatic energy. Direct, ultra mineral, almost silky – the most fluid and saline of these wines. There are others with a little more tension but this wine is lacking nothing. Also a great wine with a subtle accent of barrel today in this generous finish