Only the older parcels of vines go into this cuvée. A deeper nose, riper but tighter. This is softer but more concentrated with a nice burst of acidity on the mid-palate. I’ve always found this a good value wine, so I await pricing…
Chablis Vaillons
2005 Long-Depaquit Chablis Vaillons
The number of bottles of this cuvée is reducing as the younger vines are now regularly going into a separate ‘1er cru’ cuvée. This left-bank wine is a mix of parcels focusing mainly on Epinottes and Séchet. The nose is understated and focused, the palate is sweet, with rather well concentrated flavours and a nice flavourful fruit-driven length. It’s a very nice wine – and always a very well priced bottling – but in this vintage, doesn’t really shout ‘Chablis!’ to me.
2003 Bouchard Père et Fils Chablis Vaillons
Medium lemon-yellow. The nose is sweet, shows a little exotic fruit and honey. Slightly fat, good concentration and apparently good acidity given the mouthwatering finish, but falls short of racy. Rather lumpy and borderline harsh on first opening – never really improved over two hours – so only ‘okay’.
2001 Long-Depaquit Chablis Vaillons
Golden. The nose gives an impression of wood, plus a green-skinned fruit aspect. The palate is fresh an linear, certainly mineral, but the acidity is a little sour and grainy. Plenty of intensity on the mid-palate and reasonable length too, but today I found this a little austere – not so enjoyable.
2002 Long-Depaquit Chablis Vaillons
Medium-pale lemon-yellow. The nose is reasonably wide with a small, tight, core of citrus fruit. In the mouth your first impression is of a lively wine, of (once again) citrus inflected fruit againt good acidity and nice minerality. There’s a fine burst of intensity late in the mid-palate that flows into the finish. Today, at least with an extra layer of ripeness, this is far superior to the 2001, though it’s certainly not the ripest of 02’s.
2002 Long-Depaquit Chablis Vaillons
2004 Long-Depaquit Chablis Vaillons
Pale to medium yellow. Just a trace of oak on the nose, musky depth, but not opening quite so much as the villages wine. Fatter in the mouth, not the same instant impression of fresh acidity as the villages wine, but it comes through into the finish. Stony with a very good length – a good wine – and it certainly needs more time in the cellar than the villages.
2001 Long-Depaquit Chablis Vaillons
Medium yellow. The nose has depth, high-toned citrus and an initial impression of oak – but it blows off. Wow, after a recent diet of 2003 Côte de Beaunes this is brilliant, not fat but lovely, lovely acidity. Just a little harshness and grain at the back of the palate that is reminiscent of oak. Medium length. It was 22°C today (March!) – so now it’s white wine season – and this works just fine.