Tasted with Adrien Gautherin in Chablis, 06 April 2022.
Domaine Raoul Gautherin et Fils
3 Avenue Aristide Briand
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 11 86
www.chablis-gautherin.com
Here’s a domaine that was, historically, in the centre of Chablis but since 2017, they have new buildings between those of Domaine Collet and Domaine des Malandes. The eponymous Raoul is the grandfather of Adrien who is the next in the line of multiple generations behind this label.
Adrien explains that the domaine’s Chablis vines are mainly Valley of Valvan, some Pargues and towards Montée de Tonnerre – “All quite close to Chablis – that’s what you get when you are an old family from Chablis! We make a long elevage too, so it’s not just 2020s that are for sale here. Nearly 90% of the domaine’s production is exported – from 17 hectares of vines.
The wines…
My first visit to this domaine and there is much to love – the average quality is very high – and there are great wines to be found here too!
Above Vaillons/Beugnons and bottled about 1 month. Diam sealed
Here’s a good depth of lemon freshness – ripe and inviting. An effervescent freshness that is very dangerous – you will, all too swiftly, be returning for your next sip – that’s just a super-open and super-delicious wine – bravo! That’s my second bottled 21 PC with the same result!
2020 Chablis
Technical ‘amalgam cork’
More towards lime-citrus fruit here, faintly saline. Fuller, more mineral, slightly structural with a fine base of minerality – more than very good – give it a year in bottle, then enjoy.
2019 Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
Tank for the first fermentation then 12 months in older barrels for the malo and the rest. Then again there was 7-8 months with the wine assembled in tank before bottling – so was bottled around July so with nearly 2 years of elevage. Cork here
Broader, oak-spiced but with freshness. Actually, that has a fine and incisive start – quite direct. Fanning out over the palate with plenty of oak complexity and a slightly riper fruit than you will find in the 2020s – but delicious. Because of the oak, I would wait at least 2 years for this but really a fine and tasty wine with fine finishing bitters that have a super silky texture!
2020 Chablis 1er Vaillons
15 months of elevage with vines in Lys, Sechets, Melinots and others – 6 parcels covering over 4 ha – nearly a quarter of the domaine. Back to a diam-style to this
Hmm, a subtle, almost noble reduction to this nose. Mouth-filling a little tannin in the texture from the citrus bitters. Nicely juicy. Long and vibrant in the finish too – another wine to have some patience with but it’s more than very good!
55-65-year-old vines. Part concrete egg elevage.
A more golden fruit – a little tighter nose. That’s lovely in the mouth – fluid, mouth-watering, delicious. A top wine – it just needs to nose to express more.
2020 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
This and the last, cork-sealed.
More open, wider – an interesting vibration of energy to this nose. Fuller – what energy – how mouth-watering – in fact juicy – full of energy. Still concentrated finishing. Far from the opulence of many MdM – all tank here and Adrien thinks it has a bit less energy than many vintages – but still a wine of tension. Simply excellent wine!
2019 Chablis Grenouilles
20 months of elevage, all tank. The vines all worked by horse ‘but not for marketing – I think our soils and so the wines have really benfitted.’
Deep, open concentrated. Mineral, structurally constructed – what a baby – yet also what a width of finishing flavour here. Proper grand cru – wait 5 years.
2018 Chablis Les Clos
’19 was too small a quantity I wasn’t really happy with the quality because of that so I sold it in bulk – of course, the 2020 is still in its 20 months of elevage’ – but Adrien is very impressed with it. Vines right in the middle betwine long-Depaquit and Christian Moreau
A nice freshness with a little vibration of concentrated, ripe fruit. Broad, fine energy – less sophisticated textre than some of the previous bottles but full of energy and still plenty of structure too. Really a strength of finishing flavour here. An awkward adolescent but it has everything – return in 3 or 4 years. More than very good!
2019 Chablis Vaudésirs
Nearly 1 ha of Vaudésirs here. Just starting to commercialise this wine. 50-year-old vine – one-third older barrel elevage – no barrels in the previous wine. Then assembled in tank to complete the 20 months up to bottling.
A more perfumed width of aroma after the 2018. Vibrant, with clarity of flavour – fine structure – lots of finishing concentration. That’s a super finish – tons of material, plenty of freshness. I think an excellent grand cru!
The same vinification as the 19 except some part with 28 months of elevage – just an extra time in the tank versus the ‘classic’ – otherwise it’s the same cuvée.
The aromas are wide and perfumed again – an extra purity here vs the 18 Clos – I love. Bright – mouth-watering – really more purity than the 18 Clos. More energy, a cascade of mouth-watering flavour – mouth-filling like a fine grand cru. Complex, involving, almost chewy finishing concentration – great wine, even greater 2018!