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By Manos Angelakis
Chablis
It looks like the 2008 vintage will be a banner year for Chablis, even though botrytis appeared in a number of sites at the beginning of August. But, sunny September weather stopped the botrytis, and the cool sunny conditions helped maintain a very good level of acidity.
I was recently invited to a tasting of the ’08 Chablis wines of Drouhin Vaudon at Oceana Restaurant (1221 Ave. of the Americas), an excellent fish and seafood house in the heart of New York City. Cold seafood (clams and oysters on the half shell, crabs, lobster, shrimp etc.) complemented the tasting.
There were eight samples at the tasting, one entry level, one Reserve, three Premier Cru, and three Grand Cru. All wines are made from grapes grown in vineyards owned by the Joseph Drouhin family in Chablis. In the last 40 years, the Drouhin family has acquired and planted excellent parcels of land in a very distinct terroir, with pebbly soil of Jurassic clay and limestone. Since the 1980s, the Domaine Drouhin Vaudon has embraced organic/biodynamic principles, and it is now the largest estate in Chablis entirely given to this kind of cultivation. In addition to the biodynamic cultivation, use of very select clones and vine stocks create the kind of superior vineyard from which exceptional wines are created. To quote Alvaro Espinoza, a Chilean pioneer in biodynamic cultivation, “… the very best wines start in the vineyard, not the winery”. Starting in August 2009, all Drouhin Vaudon Chablis vineyards were certified organic/biodynamic by Ecocert.
To carry the Chablis AOC imprimatur, these wines are made of 100% Chardonnay grapes. The grapes are hand picked and each parcel is vinified separately. Fermentation for Village wines is in stainless steel vats, while Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines are fermented separately and aged in old oak barrels. With the exception of the basic Chablis that has 12.5% alcohol, all other wines are 13%.
Of the eight I tasted, I liked very much the following wines:
2008 Drouhin Vaudon Cablis Réserve de Vaudon. A pale yellow/green wine, clear and brilliant. Lemon and floral nose with some grapefruit notes. A fresh, herby palate. A very classic Chablis.
2008 Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Premier Cru Montmains. Taut, herby, toasty nose; the palate is concentrated with firm acidity and some herbiness. Overall bold, firm, and quite mineral finish.
2008 Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir. Creamy and intense with a slightly floral nose. Very rich palate, citrusy and mineral with considerable spicy acidity. A lovely wine.
2008 Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Grand Cru les Clos. Delicate buttery nose, minerals, a hint of smoke, very high acidity that will pair well with grilled fish and seafood.
I’m not trying to denigrate the rest, they were all lovely. But the above made me want to have more, perhaps at home with a nicely charcoal grilled snapper or a stripped bass.
À santé!
© November 2009 The Oenophile Blog. All rights reserved.
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