Chablis 2015 by Stephen Tanzer
Les Blanchots Grand Cru 2015 – 89-91/100
(two barrels produced, one oak and one stainless steel): High-pitched, high-toned aromas of white peach, lime, licorice, fresh herbs and pepper. Plush and supple in the mouth, conveying enticing sweetness along with a saline complexity to its ripe peach flavor. Not at all obviously oaky but still a very rich style of Chablis.
Les Clos Grand Cru 2015 – 88-90/100
(just three barrels of this juice, two of oak and one of stainless steel): Penetrating aromas of menthol, spearmint and white pepper suggest a slightly volatile element. Supple on entry, then lemony and dry in the middle palate, showing modest real flavor intensity. Turns distinctly tart-edged on the back end. Bailly pointed out that Clos is always strict at this stage of its development, but I was not happy with this sample and look forward to tasting this wine next year in its finished form.
Les Preuses Grand Cru 2015 -89-91/100
(all in stainless steel): Exotic aromas of pineapple, banana and orange blossom. Quite plush and rich, with pineapple and menthol flavors–and 13.6% alcohol–showing the exotic side of the vintage. Large-scaled for Preuses and not especially floral, finishing with a slightly edgy quality. But not hailed on.
Vaudésir Grand Cru 2015 -89-91 /100
(all stainless steel): Healthy pale yellow. Slightly high-toned, very ripe aromas of yellow peach and pineapple. In a low-SO2 phase, this comes across as plush, sweet and rich, with inviting stone fruit and lime flavors carrying nicely on the finish. But more Chardonnay than grand cru Chablis.
Fourchaume 1er Cru 2015 – 87-90/100
(a stainless steel wine): Pale yellow. Licorice and white pepper dominate fruit on the nose. At once juicy and a bit exotic, showing a hint of banana and some alcoholic warmth. Bailly says this is going through an exotic grapefruity stage but I was more worried about the wine’s heat.
Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru 2015 -89-91/100
(all done in stainless steel; made from three parcels of vines averaging 54 years of age): Vibrant aromas of lemon and lime smell like another vintage. Then surprisingly rich and pliant in the mouth, conveying a strong impression of fruit but less stony minerality and tautness than normal for this wine. The wine’s sweet impression is nicely supported by its mid-palate material. There’s no hail taste here but this is atypically a fruit bomb of a Monteé de Tonnerre.
Mont de Milieu 1er Cru 2015 -89-91/100
(this cuvée consists of two 600-liter casks plus one 50-hectoliter tank): Lemon-limey lift to the aromas of stone and licorice. A fairly rich, pliant wine, not quite exotic but showing inviting spicy high notes. Dry, essentially classic Chablis with a rather tight-grained texture and good length. One can smell the acidity here, even if it’s technically low. “It projects a balance of acidity and alcohol, like a whiskey,” says Bailly.
Les Vaillons 1er Cru 2015 – 89-91/100
(sample tasted from stainless steel tank): Bright pale yellow. An aroma of lemon zest is lifted by a floral topnote. Concentrated and sappy, with lemon and white peach flavors braced by ginger and quinine notes, not to mention a lot of CO2. Winemaker Olivier Bailly may add some oak lots to this wine (it certainly appears to possess the energy to support a wood component) but the barrels haven’t yet finished their malolactic fermentations.
Chablis “Tête d’Or” 2015 – 88-90/100
(blended the day before my visit, for bottling in September; 20% oak): Bright, pale yellow. Apple, yellow peach and spices on the zesty nose. A step up in concentration and personality from the basic village Chablis: tactile and brisk, with lemon and lime flavors accented by dusty minerality. Finishes with a dusty phenolic character and good length. Very good potential here.
Chablis 2015 – 87/100
Pale, green-tinged yellow. Very ripe aromas of pear, yellow peach, spices and dusty herbs, plus a hint of banana. Nicely concentrated and distinctly dry, finishing with a note of licorice and some alcoholic warmth. (I enjoyed the candied lemon and lime peel and high-toned ginger aromas of the just-bottled Petit Chablis but found it atypically big for its category and a touch aggressive and alcoholic.)
Petit Chablis 2015 – 86/100
Also recommended.
