Tasted in Lignorelles with David Lavantureux, 06 January 2022.
Domaine Roland Lavantureux
4 Rue Saint-Martin
89800 Lignorelles
Tel: +33 3 86 47 53 75
www.chablis-lavantureux.fr
More reports with Domaine Roland Lavantureux
David on 2022:
“Demoralising. Here, in Lignorelles, we are always a little ahead – parcels that hardly ever frost – also last year not too bad but this year the Petit Chablis in Lignorelles we may have lost 3 ha – practically 100% losses in some places – at least that’s how it looks now…”
David on 2020:
“A magnificent vintage! Our Petit Chablis was not quite so good, mainly the dryness here – but all the other areas were fine – we’d be happy with that each year. All is now bottled the last two cuvées in the last weeks. I think in the top three vintages that I’ve been working with my brother – very happy!”
The wines…
This domaine has, for good reason, been making a name for itself in the last 4-5 vintages. But 2020 is easily the best vintage I’ve ever seen here – their red too – bravo!
Natural cork is used here, nothing peroxide treated. Wax topped from the Vauprin onwards:
2020 Petit Chablis
Here is the only wine that with 100% stainless-steel for all vinification and elevage. All from Lignorelles
That’s a very friendly nose – slightly round and faintly caramel despite tank elevage – an inviting sweetness. A little touch of green in the flavours but also lots of energy and citrus bitters. Very engaging, tasty wine. Long too.
2020 Chablis
All the domaine’s wines are vinified parcel by parcel – this comes from a single parcel in Lignorelles but a big parcel of 5ha and it’s the biggest cuvée of the domaine. Here starting to see a proportion of older barrels for elevage.
A similar roundness and sweet invitation to drink. Mouth-filling, silky – here is a super wine for drinking today! The finish is pure and full of energy – again with lovely citrus-skin complexity. That’s really excellent.
3 parcels in Lignorelles – vines planted by grandfather – 50-60-year-old vines. 40% barrel – a mix of sizes but nothing new, indeed about 5-year-old barrels
An extra width that’s filled with extra freshness – that’s a great nose. Direct, structured, still with purity and energy and faintly austere too – overtly great villages – what a wine – bravo!
Now 50% barrel elevage – a little new starting to creep into the mix now.
Here the oak is starting to be visible in the aromas – a warm spice component. Great in the mouth – so fluid, so mobile – really a wine that’s almost juicy. Bravo again. I’d be waiting 2-3 years to lose most of the aromatic oak – you’ll hardly note it in the flavours.
No, not my bad spelling, this is a villages climat – a high parcel in Lignorelles, south, south-east facing, but 300m high so cool and exposed.
A nose of freshness – almost cold and saline – it has my attention. Mouth-filling. Super energy to this wine – plenty of citrus bitters again that slightly modify the texture – interestingly you note the barrel more in the flavours this time than the aromas – the reverse of the last wine – but the elevage was the same. Again a great wine but wait 2 -3 years – if I could take only one this year though, it would be the Fourchaume.
Too steep for animals here and slippy too – so everything is done by hand. Similar exposure to Vauprins, but at a lower altitude, virtually no soil here vs plenty in Beauroy, and what there is here is much whiter. Half with barrel elevage.
A big and open nose – fresh, spiced. Wow – über-mineral, so cool it’s almost cold – tons of lithe muscle. Juicy with fabulously intense but never hard flavour. That’s simply great Chablis – some elements of strictness that I would endure with so much pleasure!
Mostly west-facing ‘which brings volume.’
Not the largest nose but one of ample freshness. Wow, pure again – concentrated and growing more vibrant. A slight strictness despite the concentration. Perfectly assembled wine – very primary – it just needs to start showing some extra complexity – but in shape that’s a great wine again.
Bought. Steep and south-facing here
Higher toned complexity for this wine – that’s another beauty. Extra again – honestly how to pick? This is intense, pure, mineral and beautifully packaged with silky texture. Another winner – 2020 is really a great year for Vaudésir…
A modest change of colour:
Second vintage here. Old vines from grand-father – around 50 years old – a small cuvée – but in 22 – there will be 3.5 hectares! Very strict with the rendement – In 19 we had a very black fruit and high degrees – in 2020 we have less alcohol and more red fruit in style. ‘Really a fine triage – 15 people almost berry by berry…’
Lots of colour, all destemmed. To be bottled soon. The aroma is forward and brings a big hug to the senses – lots of purity, fine complexity and in a green vintage – no green! Supple, pure, a small rasp of tannin but nothing unripe – layers of fine fruit. The spicy dark style of Epineuil. I may not have ever said this before (maybe I have) but this is great Epineuil – super long. If you want to learn about great northern pinot drink this and the Irancy from the Pinot Blacks!