Tasted with Adrien Gautherin in Chablis, 06 May 2024.

Domaine Raoul Gautherin et Fils
3 Avenue Aristide Briand
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 11 86
www.chablis-gautherin.com
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More reports with domaine Raoul Gautherin

Adrien on 2022:
“The most recent and almost last bottlings of 2022s were done last week – only the Vaudesir Reserve that sees more than 2 years of aging will wait until the end of the year to be bottled. I have to say that I’m very happy with the 2022s – I like their structure – we harvest early to keep the acidity here – I call it the traditional Chablis way.”

The wines…

A classy, classic, set of wines from Adrien. All have a great (more classic?) structure than many in 2022 and will repay a year or three in your cellar. Super wines…

The 2022 Petit Chablis is already sold out, so…

2022 Chablis
Technical ‘amalgam cork’
Fine breadth and an almost silky impression to this aroma – a hint of lime in this citrus. Direct, structured – intense – super wine but to keep for couple of years before drinking.

2022 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. In bottle for 10 days – 20 months elevage.
Larger scale aromas – more herbed complexity here. Direct, growing wider, and wider – direct intensity – the finish more citrus skin bitters – super – but for keeping 2-3 years – to start with.

2022 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
Also a little herb complexity but with more finesse than the VV. Extra juicy, wide, great structure again with plenty of finishing bitters. Super energy and clarity of flavour. Wait again for 3 or 4 years.

2022 Chablis 1er Montmains Vieilles-Vignes
55-65-year-old vines. Part concrete egg elevage.
A broader width of yellow citrus, almost faintly cushioned and flowered. Also more cushion to this depth of flavour – faintly chalky finishing. Super wine of structure.

2022 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
This and the last, cork-sealed.
A finesse to this aroma – fine and complex too – very inviting. Supple, juicy, yellow fruit – really intense in the finishing flavour – vibrating with energy, even a little lime skin in the finishing flavours. That’s a lovely MdM…

2022 Chablis 1er Les Lys
‘It’s the first bottle of this that I’ve opened – after 20 months of elevage.’
More airy. Ooh – that’s got a bubbling complexity and beautifully detailed, more yellow, citrus fruit – almost a golden fruit. More elegant and less obviously structured wine than the previous ones – really persistent…

2022 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 benefitted.’
More direct, pretty florals and in this case a more lime-shaded fruit. This has beautiful clarity and it melts over the palate, clearly a wine of concentration but it’s mineral and pure too. Really a strong, long, finish – a properly grand cru length here – yes!

2022 Chablis Les Clos
Vines right in the middle betwine Long-Depaquit and Christian Moreau
Larger scale of aroma – a more complex blend of citrus – ripe but not exotic. Extra energy – the architecture of this is more overt and whilst the finish strong like the Grenouilles this is somehow crisper shaped in the finish. Probably a little ‘better’ than Grenouilles…