Jean-Philippe discussed 2012 as being a rather difficult year with a wet spring and a windy June, it ended with warm, dry weather which saved the vintage. Yields were down and the wines produced were not typical of the region but they were good.
2012 Vaillons - ripe peach aroma with fresh melon flavor, smooth, moderate acidity, fruity finish
2012 Fourchaume - slow to open, light floral aromas of citrus blossom with lemon zest flavor, citrus/mineral finish.
The prior year was also a difficult year with an early spring followed by a cold, windy May. This also led to lower volume production though it created a more typical Chablis wine.
2011 Vaillons - more austere, linear, lemon
2011 Fourchaume - rich lemon zest aroma and flavor with a touch of mint, longer finish
Fortunately, the year before was a more classic year for weather and wine in Chablis.
2010 Vaillons - fresh lemon citrus aromas and flavors, higher acidity with a long mineral-tinged finish.
2010 Fourchaume - more aromatic, citrus blossom and mint aromas with lemon zest flavor, higher acidity, long finish
Next, we looked at the Simonnet-Febvre Chablis from the Grand Cru vineyards of Les Clos and Les Preuses. The Preuses vineyard is on the steepest part of the hillside on Kimmeridgian limestone with longer hours of sunshine and better drainage than other parts of this climat. Jean-Philippe feels this is the purest example of the terroir; he prefers to use only stainless steel with 15-18 months on the lees to try to achieve this expression in the wine.
2011 Preuses - floral citrus blossom and honey aroma, lemon and mineral finish
2010 Preuses - honey, lemon and mushroom with a long mineral finish
2009 Preuses - lemon richness with a bit of mushroom followed by acidity with a long slightly saline mineral finish
Les Clos produces more powerful wines with great age ability, in fact, they need some aging for optimal enjoyment as they can be austere in youth. Because of this, Jean-Philippe Archambaud prefers to ferment half of the wine in barrel and half in stainless steel with the 15-18 months of aging on the lees.
2011 Les Clos - very closed, lemon.
2010 Les Clos - A slight reductive character that tells the winemaker that this wine is going to age well; citrus and a bit of baking spice, long finish
2009 Les Clos - lemon, dried herbs and mushrooms; rich, flinty minerality, long finish.
Thanks again to the
Houston Sommelier Association
for providing these educational opportunities to our local wine professionals!
Houston Sommelier Association
for providing these educational opportunities to our local wine professionals!
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