Domaine Berrnard Defaix Chablis

 This estate is currently run by Bernard's son Didier and his wife Hélène. The Domaine is small but punches above its weight because of its terroir and astute winemaking. 

Hélène Defaix

I tasted the three main Chablis from the 2022 vintage. All wines are organic since 2009. Petit Chablis often includes material from the outer regions, where the soil is clay. However, the 2022 Domaine Bernard Defaix Petit Chablis is only sourced from flat vineyards close to the village center, where the soil is kimmeridgian, including marine fossils. This gives the wine Chablis' famous minerality. This wine is citrus based, clean and linear. A bit of almond flavour appears on the finish built around fine acidity. Despite 2022 being a warm year, and the wine undergoing 100% malolactic fermentation, it is fresh and energetic. The skill here is to pick as early as possible, but the fruit needs to be ripe, according to Mrs. Defaix.

Score: 93/+++

The second wine is the 2022 Bernard Defaix Chablis. The fruit comes from similar vineyards to the Petit Chablis, but the vines are older. The wine also spends more time on lees. The result is a similar wine, with good dynamic on the palate and more fruit concentration - a very harmonious wine.

Score: 94/+++

The third wine is the jewel in the crown, the 2022 Bernard Defaix 1er cru Côte de Léchet. Bernard Defaix is the largest single holder of this vineyard. This vineyard has a perfect exposure to south-east. As a result, the fruit ripens early. 25% of the fruit sees old oak. This is a more complex wine with again more concentration, but still maintains a saline character. White fruit flavours deliver a delicate palate, with an excellent finish.

Score: 95/+++ 

 

  

Picq Chablis

 If you like crisp, clean, linear, but flavoursome Chablis, tasting of citrus rind, oyster shell, minerality and salt, this 2021 Picq Chablis is for you. This wine delivers a no nonsense Chablis, no diversion, no oak, natural yeast. It is utterly delicious.

Gilbert Picq & ses Fils is a small estate of about 14ha, comprising hillside vineyards near the town of Chicée. Some of the vineyards have a lot of small stones and no clay. The resulting wines tend to be crisp, chalky, and tinglingly mineral. 

This wine will easily age for ten years. Seek it out.

Score: 93/+++ 

 

La Chablisienne 1er Cru Léchet

As a fine wine drinker, you normally want to stay away from co-operatives. Mostly, they are volume focused. The resulting high yields produce diluted wines of little interest. However, there are two co-operatives with world-wide distribution, which want to make the highest quality wines they can. One is Produttori del Barbaresco (reviewed here before), the other is La Chablisienne.

There are 40 premier cru sites in Chablis and 7 grand cru.

La Chablisienne has a 1er cru from Cote de Léchet, which sits opposite from the grand cru plots. The history of this vineyard goes back hundreds of years and the current vines are quite old, not sure how old, maybe up to 100 years.

I tasted the 2016 Chablisienne 1er cru Léchet. The colour is golden, looks a bit developed. 

There is citrus and green apple on the nose. These notes translate to the palate. This is quite a racy wine with an attractive intense mouthfeel - not developed at all. The wine has a very strong mineral component and good length on the finish. 

Some Chablis is all citrus. This is more complex with earthy and chalky mineral flavours prominent. This is an attractive, very dry and complex wine.

Score: 94/+++ 

Bekkers Tasting

I only knew Bekkers from one glowing report. This was my first tasting from this boutique winery. Toby and Emmanuelle Bekkers are highly experienced viticulturalists and winemakers and they do everything themselves. The fruit comes mostly from Blewitt Springs and Clarendon, grown on bleached sand and sandy clay. Maturation takes place in 500-600L puncheons, old casks for Grenache, 40% new for Shiraz.

 

The 2017 Grenache comes from three vineyards in Blewitt Springs, Kangarilla (near Clarendon) and the Onkaparinga Hills area north of the river. This is an amazingly fragrant and elegant wine. It dances on your tongue, but the fruit is ripe. The raspberry flavours are not sweet. The wine has great energy and a very long finish (96 points). 

The 2017 Syrah Grenache is darker and has more fruit weight, no doubt due to the 58% Shiraz component. But again, it is an elegant wine with great length, perhaps a bit more main stream (94 points).

When I first heard about the main wine called 'Syrah', I was balking at this, as Syrah is sort of reserved for cool climate. However, the 2016 Syrah is also a delicate wine, female, the French would say, very silky. The blackberry fruit coats the mouth most elegantly (95 points).

Emmanuelle also makes a premier cru in Chablis each year. She gets this fruit as long as she only sells this wine in Australia. The wine I tasted was good, but a bit broad and not a standout. 

The red wines from Bekkers were a revelation. They are well rounded and a perfect example of how to make these varieties very enjoyable and drinkable. 

International Chardonnay Tasting

In the recent international Cabernet tasting, the French wines were the clear winners. In this Chardonnay tasting, organised by a different group, the Australian top wines held their ground.

The top wines were
-  2007 Domaine des Comtes Lapon, Meursault-Perrières, tasting of green apple, with great length and beautifully integrated acidity (96/+++)
- 2014 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay, white flower, apricot, weight and power (95/+++)
- 1998 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay, earthy with truffles, still some acidity, but a bit tired (95/++)
- 2014 Benjamin Leroux Meursault 'Les Vireuils', great village wine on the high slopes. Very elegant, linear, but mouthfilling as well (94/+++)
-2015 Savaterre Chardonnay, citrus, stone fruit, orange peel, minerality, good line and length with lingering finish (94/+++)

The next group was good, too
-  2015 Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres, quite intense, a bit broad and oaky, good acidity (93/+)
- 2014 Felton Road Chardonnay, natural fermentation, grapefruit, marzipan, quite tight (92/++)
- 2015 Curly Flat Williams Crossing Chardonnay, lime, honey, stone fruit, quite rich, but lively acidity, great value for money (91/++)
- 2014 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Cru 'Vau de Vey', from an almost unknown site, not as refined as other 1er cru Chablis, but typical character, lime and minerality, finish a bit short (91/+)
- 2014 Giaconda Chardonnay, very golden, citrus up front, almond, caramelized, powerful (91/0)

Still quite good, but not in the same league
- 2016 Montalto Pennon Hill Chardonnay, citrus, fairly light, easy drinking (88/0)
- 2016 Woodlands Wilyabrup Chardonnay, citrus and white peach, a bit tight, but will open (89/+)
- 2015 Jean-Marc Brocard Petit Chablis, grean melon, salty, lean, minerality (88/0)
- 2014 Bruno Colin Bourgogne, flavours a bit plump, nutty, good mouthfeel (89/+) 

Patrick Piuse Chablis

This photo shows 11 of the 15 Chablis I tasted from Patrick Piuse. He is a Canadian who gained his experience overseas before opening his winery in Chablis in 2008. You can see he is a traditionalist, opting for cork and wax as the closure, but he also did something revolutionary, as he separated the standard Chablis in a number of single vineyards. This makes a lot of sense, as the soil on the eastern side of the river is limestone, which brings out herbal character and minerality in the Chardonnay, whereas the 'left bank' is clay, and the Chardonnay expresses more fruit here, in particular apple and apricot. This distinction gets lost in a mixed wine.

The 2014 vintage is regarded as 'classic'. It was quite cool, and the wines show the steeliness and acidity many associate with Chablis. I was impressed with the 2014 Terroir de Chichee and the 2014 Terroir Decouverte, which expressed this particularly well. These wines are perfect as aperitif or with oysters. All the wines see oak, but the vessels are quite old and did not depart any noticeable oak flavours.

I will not go through all the wines, as they are hard to get. In general, I felt the quality increase in the premium and grand cru wines, if any, does not justify the price jumps. The standard wines are very good indeed. Amongst the grand crus, the 2014 Blanchots stood out with its elegance, balance and length on the palate.

Overall, this is an interesting producer, worth searching out.

Marcel Servin Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses

Let me start with a sweeping statement: most Chablis tastes the same or very similar. While I enjoy the clean and lean citrus flavours, it would be nice to see some personality in the wine.

When you get to Grand Cru level, it is a bit different, though. There is more depth in these wines, and more individuality. Therefore, I was looking forward to the relatively rare 2010 Marcel Servin Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses. This wine is quite developed and complex. The colour is almost golden, and the flavours range from citrus to hazelnut and honey. The wine is quite intense, not flinty. Yet, the wine is still quite precise and offers a clean firm finish. This is a  white wine well worth drinking on its own.

Score: 92/+

William Fevre Chablis

Didier Seguier, William Fevre's winemaker, whizzed through Australia last week and held a number of wine tastings. It was interesting to try a number of different Chablis from the same year and maker, as there is a bit of a view out there suggesting all Chablis tastes the same.

William Fevre has the largest holdings in Chablis with vineyards in pretty much every grand cru and premier cru section. They make more than 10 wines each year. I tasted five from the 2012 vintage. The 2012 Petit Chablis is quite a simple wine, with fresh citrus flavours  and a short finish (86 points). The 2012 Chablis is a bit longer, with better form, the finish is quite acidic (89 points).

Then there were three premium wines. The 2012 Vaillons Premier Cru is a more elegant wine, with more depth of fruit. It is still quite lean with minerality dominating on the palate. Complexity is increased as 40% of the juice sees aged oak (92 points). The 2012 Fourchames Premier Cru is richer in mouthfeel, with citrus fruit coming to the fore. This is a very smart wine (94 points). The 2012 Vaudesir Grand Cru, from a warm location, is an outstanding wine.  Quite rich citrus and lime flavours are experienced on the front palate. Then underlying minerality comes through. The wine is beautifully balanced between flavours and acidity. It is fresh and elegant at the same time with a memorably harmonious finish (96 points).

These Chablis certainly did not taste alike. The Premier Crus showed more depth of fruit, while expressing minerality, and the Grand Cru was elegant and linear/long. The only drawback: these wines are not cheap.  

Olivier Tricon Montee De Tonnerre Chablis

Montee de Tonnerre is a small, highly regarded 1er cru vineyard sitting between grand crus. It can deliver outstanding wines with typical Chablis character.

This 2010 Olivier Tricon Montee de Tonnerre, unfortunately, does not stand up to this reputation. The fruit flavours are rather bland. Minerality dominates. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the wine is not charming on the palate, not intriguing, and a little dull. On the plus side, the acidity in this wine is in nice balance with the fruit.

Score: 88/-

William Fevre Chablis

What is the difference between an 'ordinary' Chablis and a premier cru? It mainly is the depth of flavour (lower yields) and sometimes the length on the palate. This 2004 William Fevre Fourchaume Premier Cru delivers a typical citrus palate, which is quite intense. The wine has mellowed a little and the  colour of the wine is now a firmer yellow. This wine is now in its transitional phase to a mature white wine.

William Fevre is a modern winemaker who subjects part of the Chardonnay grape to oak maturation, whereas traditionalists in the Chablis area only use stainless steel. The oak is noticeable and produces a more complex texture, added by chalky and mineral flavours. The wine is beautifully balanced, but the disappointment is that it lacks some linearity and length.

Score: 91/+

Domaine Bernard Defaix Chablis

In this perfect Chablis weather in Sydney, the 2009 Domaine Bernhard Defaix Chablis is a good choice. The wine has typical lime and mineral characteristics. The 2009 vintage has made some Chablis a little broad, but this one is just right. Good flavour, not as steely as from a 'classical' vintage, but utterly enjoyable.

Score: 89/+++

Domaine de Vauroux Montmains 1er Cru

The 2008 Domaine de Vauroux Montmains 1er Cru is an attractively priced Chablis and a good drink on a hot summer day. The colour is a pale green, hinting at the minerality of the wine. Do I taste oyster shells? The wine is quite lean and acidic, yet with a smooth and satisfying finish.

Score: 93/+++

William Fevre Fourchaume Chablis

I was not sure if drinking the 2004 William Fevre Fourchaume at this time would be a good idea. Maybe this is right at transition to maturity.

It turned out drinking beautifully. This premier cru is a step up from the standard Chablis. The main difference appears to be the stronger fruit concentration, while maintaining intense minerality and a very linear form. The wine is still fresh, with restrained acidity on the finish.

Chablis is my favorite white wine, I make no bones about it. I sometimes wonder why I drink anything else. I like the steeliness and form and nothing accompanies oysters as well as a Chablis. The standard one is good for lunch. This one is quite special and would leave all but three or so Australian whites for dead.

Score: 96/+++

Domaine Chantemerle Chablis

Now that Australian white wine producers have pretty much done away with cork closures, why not go the whole way? I had the 2008 Domaine Chantemerle Chablis with lunch today, and this wine is absolutely delicious and quite complex, without it seeing any oak at all (apart from the cork, of course).

The 2008 vintage in Chablis is very appealing to me. It is not as broad as 2006 and not as steely as 2007: a good mix between acidity and fruit flavour. The Chantemerle vines are manually harvested and no commercial yeast is used in the wine making process.

The wine has lemon/citrus flavours, there is good minerality on the palate. The wine fills the mouth nicely, but maintains its linear approach to the ripe acidic finish. I have not had a better pairing with Sydney Rock Oysters than this.

While some Sauvignons add oak to make the wine more 'interesting', this wine is proof that with good fruit and natural treatment in the vineyard and winery, highly complex flavours can be achieved without oak.

Score: 94/+++

Jean-Marc Brocard Petit Chablis

Chablis is the ultimate choice for a summer wine. My favourite producer from the area is Jean-Marc Brocard. In opening the 2006 Brocard Petit Chablis I was expecting the typical citrus and mineral profile from the area.

I was surprised to see a much more golden colour and a much fuller taste. Still, the wine is very linear and has great acidity to finish. This is Brocard's entry wine and I would recommend it over at least two thirds of Australia's serious Chardonnays.

William Fevre Petit Chablis

Ah Chablis! What a difference to the Cloudy Bay: Fresh lime and citrus flavours, bone dry, flinty, mineral, not so much alcohol, good length and acidity. And this 2005 is only the entry wine . However, 2005 was a good year and William Fevre is one of the outstanding producers of the Chablis district.

Joseph Drouhin Chablis

Chablis is increasingly my favourite white wine. I don't drink whites with dinner much, but for lunch this is perfect.

Chablis wines are very steely, of lime/citrus flavour, with good minerality and a fresh acidic finish. Alcohol levels are moderate, usually around the 12% mark. They are more interesting than Sauvignon Blancs (in my view), but not as big as Australian Chardonnays. They are made from the Chardonnay grape.

The 05 Joseph Drouhin is a good example of this. I drank the wine on a number of occasions lately. It shows great versatility with food . The 06 is available now, but apparently has some sweetness, which would be unusual for the Chablis region.