Tasted with Frédéric Soupé in Chablis, 11 May 2021
Domaine Soupé
ZA des Violettes
1 rue de la Paix
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 52 79 50
www.domainesoupe.com
Domaine Soupé had a really fine Petit Chablis in my blind-tasting of 2019s earlier this year. I tried to pay them a visit during the week of the frost in April – no surprise that they had other priorities – but today my timing was a better fit.
Domaine Soupé is the work of Frédéric et Jean Michel Soupé. It’s a relatively ‘new’ 30-hectare domaine as, until 2017, the family’s produce was all sold to La Chablisienne. Frédéric et Jean Michel’s mother, father and another brother all left the coop at the same time. Their first vinifications were in 2018 and their new cuverie building was ready in time for the 2019 harvest. The domaine has 1 hectare of Petit Chablis and three 1er crus amounting to 4.20 hectares – 2.75 from Montée de Tonnerre – and the rest is Chablis. Frédéric and Jean Michel’s grandparents on their father’s side came from Beru, hence, they have plenty of vines here but there are also 10 hectares of vines in Chemilly-sur-Serein, Fleys and Poilly-sur-Serein too. Their mother was a native of Chablis, from here came their Petit Chablis from above Valmur and their 1er crus.
They had planned their commercial start for grand jours in March 2020 – which was, of course, covid-cancelled. Sales are mainly France and the team here really waiting for the markets and restaurants to re-open. They already have some exports (Switzerland for instance). Currently, only about 10% of their volume is commercialised by them, the rest is sold in bulk. “I know my vines so well – we’ve been working them for generations – but I really don’t know my wines as well. The Chablis comes from 4 different communes so I’m still looking at what blends I like the most while working in the cuverie. I’m also working with a little barrel elevage – larger barrels too.”
I asked Frédéric about the frost this year “Maybe less than 5 hectares was saved from the frost – we heated 2 hectares and were ‘helped’ by our late pruning – but many parts we couldn’t protect…”
The wines…
Just a quick 3 wines – but excellent wines. They also have 3 premiers and 0.10 hectare of grand cru Les Preuses in their range. A new name on the market but one with fine quality at the low end (the only ones tasted)
DIAM3 for the Petit Chablis and the Chablis and for the old vine cuvée it’s DIAM5 then DIAM10 for the Grand Cru.
2019 Petit Chablis
Plenty of colour. The nose suggests a little seashore. A roundness but also a nice structure – that’s really a delicious wine – relatively easy but the finish, like the start, has a super minerality. Finishing long. Really excellent PC…
2019 Chablis
Bottled in September
That’s a nicely structural and saline nose. Supple, concentrated but fresh and nicely energetic. The finish is properly zesty – citrus skin. That’s a really excellent Chablis too.
2019 Chablis Les Doyennes
This is their VV cuvée from a terrace in Beru – there’s plenty of clay here – Doyennes a cuvée name – ‘I don’t use VV as it’s a name that means so little and each domaine determines what for them is old…’
Another wine that has a faint salinity, here it’s also subtly floral – that’s a beautiful, quite airy nose. Very silky, a nicely direct wine – properly structured, ripe but precise. That’s got a super finish too – on that slowly grows over the palate. Very tasty wine – of finesse – also an excellent wine.