Originally published on WineWriting.com by Richard Mark James:http://www.winewriting.com/2013/07/chablis-part-3-geoffroy-moreau-seguinot.html"On-foot" has been regrettably dropped from 'Chablis: final destination 3...', as predictably more efficient transport was required this time to spread the net a little wider. See "Chablis on foot" part 1: Chablis Wine Awards and "Chablis on foot" part 2: Droin, Chablisienne, Long-Depaquit, Fèvre for previous ramblings around Chablis and catching the drift. This last instalment explores the neighbouring villages of Beines and Maligny a tad, taking in Domaines Alain Geoffroy, Louis Moreau and Séguinot-Bordet. It also tries to simulate an elevated view of one particular snapshot of the area's vineyards ("you had to be there" type-thing, a vantage-point in the Côte de Léchet 1er Cru site) - accompanied by Eric Szablowski (goes to his website) who worked for many years as winemaker at a few wineries in the region and elsewhere, and now runs wine classes and tours in Burgundy - to get a sharper picture of and some insight on all these complicated Premier and Grand Cru names, where/what exactly 'Petit Chablis' is and other burning issues like that...The vista is quite revealing standing on a slope (that old cliche about 'the high ground' has some worth after all) between vine rows in Côte de Léchet and Petit Chablis; the latter, strangely perhaps, are actually higher and chalkier looking than its 'superior' neighbour. "Chablis lies on Kimmeridgian slopes, and some on Portlandian, facing south-west-east," Eric (pic. right) started to explain. Amazingly, I've managed to avoid the 'K' word up until now - further insight can be found HERE (read down through the 'Grand Cru Chablis London 2012 tasting report'), as I can't be bothered going on about that again... Advanced warning: there's already going to be plenty of soil talk here!In a marvellous 'here's one I made earlier' style moment, Eric picked up and showed us a lovely large lump of those classic stones/rocks that make up this type of soil: chalk, marl, clay and tiny little fossils. "Petit Chablis is actually planted on pure limestone," he continued, and the piece of Côte de Léchet we were looking at, a little lower and down to the left too, did look grassier with more clay in it; and you could see big chunks of chalk lying on the upper part. This does also reflect the same kind of "highest isn't necessarily best" thinking applied elsewhere to classified vineyards in Burgundy. So, one of those inevitable 'put you on the spot' questions came next: is this soil the source of that famous alleged 'mineral' character that's pretty distinctive in Chablis wines? Answering as a wise scientific type (with a good sense of humour as well), Eric said: "If there is a mineral taste..." (stemming from the relationship/cycle between/of soil - vine - grapes - flavour) "...then it's probably coming via the water (taken up by the plant)." There's definitely a climatic element to their taste profile too, as there are quite a few days less of pure sunshine here than in Meursault even (further south), say, which could just be down to plain-old higher acidity of course; yet there seems to be more to it than that...Eric talked more about the location and features of some of the top sites around us and across the valley. "The problem with the Premiers Crus is, for example, Vaillons is in eight parts (with different micro-climates and soil make-up, and varying styles of wines)... Côte de Léchet is also on the left bank... and all the Premier Cru sites here are southeast facing. On the right bank, the river cuts the Kimmeridgian terroir, and there's more homogeneity between the Premiers Crus." The Grand Cru vineyards are on that side too, just to the north of the town of Chablis: "We really have one Grand Cru in Chablis with seven climats that all touch!" he added tongue-in-cheek, although you can see what he means. "On the other side, there's a tributary of the river (running south I think) and more variation in the soils."Eric pointed out more examples of the subtle differences and complexities of these sites; highlighting the way topography, exposure and the earth beneath these precious vines' feet can make that difference. "Montée de Tonnerre has the oldest, and shallower, soils... Fourchaume has more marl... and Vaulorent is the only Premier Cru that touches Grand Cru vineyards." There's actually just a path between it and Les Preuses, although apparently "not the best part of Preuses..." The Premiers Crus are generally located from the middle to top of the slopes, and then Petit Chablis vineyards lying across the tops. And the Grand Cru sites, more or less running in a long line next to each other, mostly face south and/or southwest, which obviously makes a significant difference sunshine wise... Except part of Vaudésir that faces "more north/northwest, the opposite to the rest!" Eric continued highlighting a few of these anomalies, for want of a better word. "We call the two sides 'sun' and 'moon', as (the micro-climate) is quite extreme: frost can be a real problem yet it's very steep and the hottest in summer." And Preuses, for instance, is windier and more exposed than some of the others.As for Chablis winemaking, Eric believes "we should decrease the amount of oak used generally speaking. There's now a younger generation who are more qualified and have worked elsewhere, so they have more experience too in how much oak to use." And he thinks winemakers "should do the malo-lactic fermentation..." (sorry to bring up the tiresome M word again... see 'Part 2' for more, if you must), basically to get richer rounder flavour and mouth-feel in the wines. One of our inquisitive group also asked Eric: "What's the biggest threat to Chablis," to which he replied, suitably philosophical, "Chablis... the problem of staying true to Chablis, in the face of globalization. Another big problem is fraud... with the Chablis name." And finally, as we'd got him going on those 'big' topics, what was his dream... "All vineyards will be organic or biodynamic." Read on for more views and info on that one...Louis Moreau (goes to website, where I pinched the photo from, and you'll find importers for their wines) and his second in command, wife Anne, live in Chablis town centre; but their winery is located in the village of Beines a few kilometres to the west of here (10 Grande Rue, phone 03 86 42 87 20). Louis' father Jean-Jacques had already created a successful wine broking/trading company, which was supplied by grapes from the Moreau estate dating back to the 19th Century; including their solely owned Clos des Hospices parcel within Les Clos Grand Cru that the family purchased back in 1904. This business was sold to Allied in the 80s then became part of Boisset in 1995, excluding these family vineyards, which were then split between his father and Christian Moreau (hence the separate domaine under that name); and Louis took over their 'new' estate under his name at that time too."But they're more or less the same vineyards throughout all these changes," Louis explained further in the cellar during our visit and tasting. And, after studying and working in California for a few years, "in 1995, I bought some more Premier and Grand Cru sites from Gimmonet et Fils," bringing the total area to about 50 ha nowadays. At that time, Chablis vine land cost around €80-€100,000 per hectare; now, you're looking at €180 to €200,000. Moreau also owns a second estate called Domaine de Biéville, which, established by his father in the 1970s, is another 60 ha of appellation Chablis lying 15 km east of the town all in one spot near Viviers. Some of the wine made from here is sold to e.g. Laithwaite's and M&S (as 'LM' Chablis) in the UK, by the way. Otherwise, they work with Legacy Wines (who bought previous agent Stratford) and export to several other countries... including "15% (of sales) in Asia now."Louis describes their focus as "working in the vineyard in a very environmentally friendly way," looking for "the most natural solution possible for getting high quality from my vines and grapes." Their Grand Cru and 1er Cru Vaillons vineyards are now farmed organically, "but we're not going for certification." He reckons about 30% of Chablis growers are doing organics, with 5% to 10% actually certified. Anne added: "we've noticed a difference in the Grand Cru wines - they seem more aromatic for instance - and we know what we're putting into the soil."2011 Petit Chablis - a little cold and closed up at first, aromatic though with fresh citrus fruit, lean and crisp mouth-feel vs a touch of creaminess too, tight zingy finish. €12 cellar door.2011 Chablis - fresh citrus with aniseed edges, clean and crisp palate with gently juicy fruity vs steely profile; well-made although lacks a bit of character maybe.2010 1er Cru Vau Ligneau - much richer with buttery / fruity nose, lees-y and zesty mouth-feel with tight steely bite vs a touch of weight and light creamy flavours, zingy and quite long finish. Nice style. €162010 Vaillons - more closed up and steelier still vs subtle rich creamy side, very steely and taut on its long finish. Needs time, classy. $26.95 Larchmont Wine & Liquor NY.2008 Vaudésir - touch of grainy coconut oak vs lush 'sweet' fruit and toasty hazelnut, dry and steely backbone though vs that weight and rounder side, delicious developing fruit, intense and concentrated; that oak melts into the texture, nutty and complex vs crisp, still young and structured vs maturing savoury flavours. Good stuff: better on the finish than on the initial nose.2009 Les Clos - quite grainy oaky, fairly fat and lush vs 'salty' and savoury, oxidizing hazelnut notes vs quite toasty still; less 'tight' and more forward than the 08 perhaps, good though.2009 Clos des Hospices - a tad less grainy and coconut, richer perhaps with similar hazelnut flavours, tighter acidity too with a little more texture, weight and concentration; a bit finer but pretty similar.And these two lovely older vintages of Louis Moreau Chabbers were 'scrutinized' over dinner the following evening at the well-known hotel-restaurant www.hostellerie-des-clos.fr back in town:2000 Chablis (magnum) - delicious oatmeal and hazelnut notes, rich and rounded with dried apricot and butter flavours / texture vs still fresh with 'salty' bite, lovely tasty savoury finish. Yum, great vintage obviously.2002 Vaudésir - deeper colour than the 00, 'older' tasting even with oxidized roast hazelnut / macadamia nuts yet dry savoury finish; then turning quite mineral even vs rich maturing nutty / Fino sherry tones; complex wine drinking very well now.If you're feeling well-off (we weren't paying!), Hostellerie des Clos is a suitably sumptuous option for posh eating and staying in Chablis (18 Rue Jules-Rathier, phone 03 86 42 10 63). I had two delicious courses that evening (generous portions as well, I couldn't manage a dessert): melt-in-the-mouth fried foie gras (liver not paté, even less PC probably) and figs with salad-y bits followed by a lovely fresh crayfish stew. It's very expensive here, and I've probably had as good, or better even for less money; but it was very good in anybody's book. We enjoyed those two wines above with this and also another red from Irancy, a 2010 made by Léon Bienvenu (Pinot Noir and César), which was (apart from being much better than the previous offering mentioned in 'part 2') a nice aromatic style reminiscent of a Cabernet Franc/Beaujolais cross on the nose, had quite deep colour actually with attractive fruit vs refreshing bite / light dry grip.It's perhaps difficult to picture what a couple of thousand corkscrews in all shapes and designs imaginable spanning over a century look like, all neatly displayed by size, period or country in seemingly endless glass cases as you discover one room after another. In that case, here's another good reason to go and visit Domaine Alain Geoffroy (goes to site) in Beines (4 rue de l'Equerre, phone 03 86 42 43 76; their wines are rather special too: read on for a comprehensive tasting tour of vintage 2011 plus some 10s, 09s and 08s). Daughter and sales manager Nathalie Geoffroy told us the family has collected about this many over the years for their fascinating (really!) mini-museum called the 'Musée de la Vigne et du Tire-Bouchon' (there are a few tools & artifacts too showing wine-growing/making 'down the ages' type thing). My favourite corkscrew had to be an English one from the anti-alcohol lobby, featuring barbed wire around the handle!Nathalie is Alain Geoffroy and his second wife's daughter actually, and she and her sister are also joint-owners of another property called Domaine de La Cornasse. The Geoffroy estate has been around since the mid 19th Century and amounts to about 45 ha taking in three Premier Cru vineyards. Nathalie explained that "we don't have vines in Les Clos (Grand Cru), but buy grapes from the same family friend every year." Their Chablis is available from Oddbins in London and various independent merchants around the UK; and from Larchmont Wine & Liquor NY in the US, among others.2011 Bourgogne Chardonnay - sourced from a rented vineyard near Tonnerre. Clean and crisp vs juicy citrus fruit and a touch of roundness too, nice style. €7 cellar door.2011 Petit Chablis - lean crisp and mineral with buttery and peachy hints, tight and steely mouth-feel vs attractive fruit underneath.2011 Domaine de la Cornasse Chablis - nice fruity style with juicy peachy and creamy touches vs steely backbone, savoury and 'salty' tang vs 'sweet' fruit; very nice.2011 Domaine le Verger Chablis vieilles vignes (60 year-old vines on average) - has "a bit of oak." Touch of smoky bacon adds a savoury element, quite concentrated vs tight and steely, different.2011 Beauroy 1er Cru (they own 8 ha) - floral celery tones vs peach and ripe citrus, fairly concentrated with subtle rich fruit vs salty savoury side, long tasty and classy.2011 Vau-Ligneau - creamier and nuttier with floral peachy edges, tangy salty and crisp vs lovely fruit, classic style; again quite restrained and makes you want to finish the glass.2011 Fourchaume - aniseed and celery hints vs buttery and ripe citrus vs green fruit undertones, steelier and more intense perhaps, nice creamy buttery vs salty and zingy combo, very long and fine. Good stuff.2010 Chablis - developing nutty oily notes vs celery undertones, richer buttery palate vs steely and salty, more concentrated (than the 11) with attractive savoury vs 'sweet' mix, still crisp too yet drinking well now. £12.50 Oddbins, $21.95 Larchmont (currently 09).2010 Beauroy - maturing creamy savoury notes, pretty intense and concentrated vs steely and salty, lovely balance of buttery fruit vs tangy, long and fine. Yum.2009 Vau-Ligneau - oaty flapjack aromas, quite rich and savoury, nice although a bit flabby and 'hot'; full-flavoured and different though.2008 Les Clos - oaty nutty savoury and buttery vs greener citrus hints, concentrated and weighty with some oak texture/flavour vs roasted hazelnuts vs very tight steely and crisp. Delicious wine.Jean-Francois Bordet took over Domaine Séguinot-Bordet from his grandfather (pic. together above, taken from their site) - who he's obviously very fond of and still comes to see him twice a week in cellar and vineyard then they go for lunch - 15 years ago, since his mother didn't want to carry on the family business. Their winery and vines are in and around the village of Maligny (8 Chemin des Hâtes, phone 03 86 47 44 42) found to the north of Chablis, although we met Jean-Francois for dinner at Le Bistrot des Grands Crus in town (see Part 2 for my 'review' of that establishment). The family's ties to wine-growing on this land dates back to 1590 no less, which nowadays comes to 16 ha including many old vineyards lying along south/southeast facing slopes on the right bank of the river Serein. The grapes are "mostly machine harvested," Jean-Francois explained further. "My granddad was the first in the village to do this in 1981... Partly because (otherwise) 70 people are expensive..." and difficult to manage implied. "I like to pick very late too so it's really ripe," he added; using these fast and efficient machines also gives you that option with much less risk.About a quarter of his sales are in the UK including Majestic stores, Charles Taylor (London) and small independents such as Wright's Wine. And Wines Direct in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath is the Irish importer (€ price below).2011 Petit Chablis - hints of ripe creamy fruit vs crisp bite, fairly easy going and tasty now. £11.992011 Chablis - more closed up to start, similar in style to above yet fuller vs steelier too, ripe creamy fruit vs gentle tangy salty finish. About £13 or €16.2011 Fourchaume 1er Cru - attractive ripe buttery fruit with a bit of weight too, finishes more mineral although it's quite forward and drinking well now (especially with the fish stew I had). £202010 Vaudésir Grand Cru (bought-in grapes) - fermented/aged in wooden vats with 12 months on the yeast lees, then blended and kept in stainless steel before bottling. Grainy coconut tones vs fairly rich and buttery, spicy edges too but not too oaky, quite fat mouth-feel vs subtle tighter fresher finish. Still needs a little time to come together, promising though.All rights RMJ.
