Question: What about presently drinking 2011 Pouilly Fuisse from Louis Jadot?

Answer: This Chardonnay white from the Maconnaise is a solid forwardly drinking wine. Worth opening. Should show mature nutty flavours with some ripe tropical fruit but helped by leaner 2011 vintage citrus notes to help keep it still relatively fresh. Recommend drinking these up now and expect your bottles will provide a few interesting rounding texture surprises. Give them a good chill. Enjoy.

Followers of this Blog will realize your scribe’s admiration of Chablis Les Clos and also top white Burgundy from many climats but foremost St. Aubin, Meursault Perrieres, Corton Charlemagne & Chevalier-Montrachet. So fortunate to spend yet another week in mid-October 2023 studiously studying the vines and visiting many key wineries. Must say I am impressed with the current developments. Smart canopy management together with the inherent ability of old vines to adapt to climate changes and other clever techniques are all making a big difference. Some killer older wines too with one of the leaders tasted Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru from outstanding long aging vintage 2014 by top producer Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey clearly displaying why this is one of the greatest dry white wines of the world!

One of the many highlights this month was walking the vineyards of Montrachet & Chevalier-Montrachet on October 14 with knowledgeable geologist Francoise Vannier of Adama Vineyard Terroir for valuable insights. She is a fountain of research and soil analysis to help contribute to your own knowledge of these Grand Cru whites. Check her out for some geological history on winescholarguild.org and monocepage.com for more details. 

Francoise displayed many detailed charts as we walked the steep vineyards. One I particularly admired showed the subsoils here with a dense wide layer at 150 meters of key “Chassagne Limestone” in Montrachet. Also returned to the .2 hectare section of La Cabotte a special one as part of Chevalier-Montrachet Bouchard Pere holdings. Also at the very top you can examine the stratas of soil in fine detail to provide even more insights as to why these Grand Cru white Burgundies are so unique and display their special terroir.

Fascinating indeed. Soil studies provide astute insights into what makes these wines so unique and special.

Question: Which winery do you think did the best social media coverage of their 2023 harvest?

Answer: Pleased to see so much better current harvest information posted on social media by wineries. Well done. Many candidates but my gold star goes to @NGlumineau and @PichonComtesse in #Pauillac on X or Twitter for excellent day-by-day coverage with informative photos on textures from September 6 (day 1) to September 30 (day 20). Check it out #PichonComtesse #PichonLalande #TheBestIsYetToCome

Your scribe has just spent the first full seven days of October 2023 in fine weather back in Chablis once again. One of my favourite wine towns as well as arguably the world’s most unique terroir. IMHO the best starting point is to stand at the highest point of Les Lys vineyard on the Left Bank and look directly across at the Chablis Grand Cru on the Right Bank of the River Serein. Next go across to stand at the highest point of Les Clos and look across at the Left Bank villages with the town in between. Puts the whole region into perspective. The sign at the top of Les Clos (my fav) states 27.70 ha with South West exposure “By far the largest of the Grand Cru vineyards, set between Valmur to the West and Blanchot to the East. Les Clos is intricately woven into the history of Chablis, as it was almost certainly the first vineyard to be planted. The name ‘Clos’ indicates that the vineyard was enclosed by a stone wall. Situated on a single slope, the soils here contain a high proportion of stones mixed with ‘une forte proportion de calcaire.’ The wines from Les Clos tend to be quite closed in their youth but have extremely good aging potential, with a strong mineral character and great finesse.”

The best way to try and understand the different Grand Cru vineyards is to walk through them. Not easy. Done this many times before but the vineyards seemed steeper and more diverse than ever for me this time. Maybe I am just getting older and slower (true enough) but it is a long tiring most insightful journey well taken. You can’t believe the terroir differences. Fun tasting some unpicked sweet juicy delicious Chardonnay grapes from 2023 Vaudesir.

Many winery visits and much learned. Impressed. Canopy management is under much better control raised higher off the ground and some Eastern leaves thinned to allow better circulation.  A real key consensus among all growers is how amazed they are that older Chablis vines are miraculously inherently adapting to the climate change. When I mentioned to long time dear friend CHRISTIAN MOREAU (with FABIEN) that those Cuvee Guy Moreau vines planted in 1933 – now 90 years old- may have to be reassessed for production. They said no that those ninety year vines are thriving and 2023 was one of the all time full best ones. Nature is always surprising. Best Zalto tasting glass. 2022 in tanks blending together and impressive. Have some new Blanchots too. Outstanding producer finally getting some of the credit they so richly deserve.

At WILLIAM FEVRE they are high on 2020 just ripe enough with balanced acidity. 2021 such a short crop. 22 & 23 quantity & quality though concerns that extra alcohol can be like adding too much pepper to a food course. 2020 Les Clos is 121 euros in the shop there. Vaulorent 2020 67E, 2019 62E, and 2018 59E.

Impressive tasting at Domaine Jean Paul & Benoit DROIN of 13 selections 2022: Fourchaume finished hotter but Vaulorent precise and balanced. Montee De Tonnerre firmer smoky more flavours. Vaudesir exquisite flowers elegant & stylish. Valmur big rich full. Grenouilles fragrant open. Les Clos truly Wow minerals. Produced 11,000 cases. Blind 2010 Vaillons still lively.

DOMAINE LOUIS MICHEL with Guilliaume Michel excellent wines. 2023 some mildew issues requiring copper spray as elsewhere but again good average yields. Liked the freshness of the small crop all around 12.8 abv. Admired 2020 Vaudesir 12.79 exquisite N facing crisp and elegant. Guilliaume opened blind a richer rounder smoother Chablis. Not 14 but guessed maturing 2015. Some spice exotic style but was surprised so fresh and pure as was in fact 2009 Les Clos. Let us take almost full bottle away and deliciously complex  with our dinner next night.

DOMAINE LONG DEPAQUIT has a young knowledgeable star in Regisseur Louis Gimonnet (of the prestigious Champagne house). What a resume that includes Corsica, New Zealand, Santa Barbara, Oregon, even assisted Rajat Parr develop a sparkler. Their 2020 wines (of course including Moutonne written up here earlier) are outstanding indeed. Vaucopins 1er cru full of complex flavours and a truly exquiste Les Vaudesirs. Check them out.

Another producer to follow is FAMILE GUEGUEN of CELINE & FREDERIC with Les Preuses 2022 (75E) & 2021 and also carry Pinot Noir “Les Mazelots” 2022 20E from the increasingly popular Irancy region. Worth investigating. Like especially what family Gabin et Felix RICHOUX with Thierry et Corine are doing there in Irancy with an excellent 2020 Pinot Noir.

Big Chablis fan!!

Question: Preliminary 2023 Chablis harvest review?

Answer: Vendange 2023 in Chablis is completed. Your scribe was there and most producers are optimistic on the final results. Older vines especially are adapting well to the hotter Summer conditions and all vines benefiting from well organized canopy covers. Not the same frost issues reducing many of the vintages over the past decade. After a small crop in 2021 the 2022 & now 2023 have produced above average therefore helping ease the pressure on rising prices. Also the earlier picking times have been helpful to maximize acidity balance. Encouraging!