Les Clos

Another quite exceptional wine from this great Grand Cru vineyard. The fruit notes include pears at their perfect moment of ripeness. The wine is dreamily well balanced with mazing energy behind. A magical, complete Chablis for the long term.
(Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Buyer)

With a pale colour, this has a nose that suggests a wine of great potential power. It shows all the majesty of Les Clos, and the fruit is usefully supported by a touch of oak. Full and fine, with great grace and depth of fruit, this is exceptionally long. It clearly needs much more time though.

Laurent Pinson is happy to report better volumes than in recent vintages, and more typical Chablis in style. The grapes ripened nicely yet retained very good acidity. The crop was picked by hand in good weather, and fermented with natural yeasts. The crus are all barrel-aged, with a small proportion being barrel fermented. As usual, we see not just great quality but also excellent value for money at this estate.

A combination of all the above Grands Crus, only more so: Les Clos manages to be the most powerful wine, with the greatest concentration of fruit, yet retaining a driving elegance throughout. Minerals abound, and the finish shows extraordinary persistence.

The grapes were picked by hand between 15th and 22nd September in good weather conditions. The Premiers Crus will be bottled in December or January, the Grands Crus a little later. The fresh style of the wines is dictated by the summer temperatures, both July and August being cooler than average. The different terroirs are beautifully delineated this year and the range offers some fascinating contrasting pairings: Vaillons/Mont de Milieu; Montée de Tonnerre/Vauloren and Les Preuses/ Côte Bouguerots for example.

A beautiful, very pale primrose, the nose is classy, showing the oak a bit at first, but then the noble fruit emerges. There is huge volume here, ultra-concentrated white fruit (maybe white-fleshed peaches), a touch of wood and then the spice of ripeness without undue weight. This is very impressive but Bougerots maybe wins this year. Drink 2022-2032.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

In common with most of his colleagues, Didier Séguier was ready to harvest in early September; starting on Thursday 3^rd with the vineyards which had been hit by the hail storm earlier in the week. The damage was to volume rather than quality and certainly just from tasting it was not possible to see where the hail had fallen. These are powerful wines which have nonetheless retained the qualities of classic Chablis.

Kept in barrel until December this is bright and clear in colour. Picked early, the fruit bounds out of the glass, no sign of the oak. Displaying a whole raft of different fruits, the oak lends support behind. In particular the fruit acid balance impresses. Great Chablis. 
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Picking began on 30th September, stopped for the rainy weekend, then the small amount remaining was finished afterwards. The Pinsons have been making such good wine for several years now, and 2013 certainly continues that story.

Part vinified in new wood and all aged in barrel before bottling after 15 months, this wine is up to the same standard of their great 2010. It has a fabulous nose, the wood perfectly integrated with a fine depth of powerful white fruit, excellent acidity and exceptional long term potential.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director Every year we like these wines, and every year when we try the wines that we bought the year before, we like them even more. Laurent Pinson and his daughter Charlène are doing a wonderful job and producing outstanding Chablis for very reasonable prices. All of the wines are hand harvested and the 1ers Crus are matured in barrel, though without the influence of new wood.

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This has a very classic Chablis nose, combined with white peach and just a hint of oak. Incredible power and persistence, tension and energy; it’s still a baby. Spine-tingling with plenty of chewy phenolic matière; this needs time to knit together, but all of the elements are there in spades. Drink 2025-2037.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

This leading Chablis domaine was developed by the eponymous William Fèvre between 1957 and his retirement in 1998 when he sold to the Champagne House Joseph Henriot. Since then the wines have been made by the talented Didier Séguier who had previously been with the Bouchard team in Beaune. The domaine wines include 12 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards and no less than 16 hectares of Grands Crus. Everything is harvested by hand. The Premier Cru wines are vinified in 30 to 50 percent oak, the Grands Crus 50 to 70 percent, all in oneyear-old barrels from Bouchard. Didier Séguier described 2016 as a complicated vintage which was saved by a warm, dry summer and a cool northerly wind just before harvest, allowing the grapes to ripen without achieving high sugar levels. The resultant small grapes have given concentrated wines of great finesse. He feels this is a vintage which will produce wines of good early approachability, while also being interesting to serious Chablis lovers who will appreciate the mineral backbone. Keen to preserve this minerality, Dider has not used any new oak this year.

Again the old vines have delivered something special. This is perhaps the most exuberant of all the Billaud-Simon wines, yet the great weight of fruit is balanced by a steely, mineral core. Sumptuous, succulent and immensely satisfying. Drink 2012-2018.

Where the Mont de Milieu is about power, Pinson’s Les Clos is the epitome of finesse, albeit every bit as intense. The fruit has a serene quality to it, fills out the middle palate, then continues to an immensely long finish. This is a fabulously complete wine and a bargain at that!
(Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director)

Laurent Pinson thinks 2010 will be the longest lasting in the recent succession of successful vintages in Chablis, combining the intensity of 2009 with the invigorating acidity of the previous year. Though volume is down as for everybody, prices remain stable – meaning that this excellent address offers superb value. The Premier and Grand Cru wines are a blend of barrel and stainless steel maturation, though the wood component never dominates the wine.

Pale but intense and ultra-concentrated, this displays very dense white fruit and an edge of smokiness. Highly impressive, there is weight and fruit richness, with lovely lemon-scented notes,  brilliant intensity and a fine suave finish. Another great example of Les Clos magic. 
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Benoît began harvesting on 26th September so almost everything was picked before the rain. Supply is down 30 percent because of the flowering but there was very little rot. It all passed off without problem during vinification and in the cellar.

From first sniff, this is a fabulous wine. Tasting it, even in its youth, brings a smile to the face. There is a brilliant rich white fruit bouquet and a great density of flavour on the palate. This wine displays a serene quality, with tremendous intensity of fruit, yet light on its feet. Terrific!
Jasper Morris MW - Burgundy Wine Director

This long-established family domaine impresses us more and more with every vintage. The Pinsons have always picked by hand and they are now using natural yeasts for the vinification process. Most wines are vinified in stainless steel, with a small percentage in barrel for the top wines, then matured in barrel for up to a year. The only bad news in 2012 is the quantity: 20% down for straight Chablis, 25-30% less across the Premier Cru vineyards and minus 50% on the Grand Cru which was affected by frost.

From 2.5 hectares of vines, this was fermented in 20% new oak and 80% tank. A brooding and serious nose gives little away at this early stage, with well-integrated oak and subtle spice. The palate is a little more yielding, with an earthy texture, dense apricot and peach fruit, and a saline, grippy finish. The flavours and textures come and go in waves, prolonging the finish. Drink 2023-2033.

Fèvre owns a sixth of the vines in Les Clos, mostly towards the top of the vineyard. Over half were planted by William’s grandfather, and the deep root systems of these old vines are a huge benefit in drier vintages. The nose is smoky and spicy with bacon-fat notes, while the palate has a rich entry with plenty of stone-fruit to the fore. Cleansing limestone minerals run through the whole, providing a dry, grippy counterpoint to the sleek, powerful profile. Complex and layered, with real potential. Drink 2024-2035.

There is real density on the nose here, with white fruit, flintiness and immense power. This is classically top Chablis for its intensity and superbly integrated acidity.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

While Benoît Droin bemoans the reduced crop in 2010, albeit not as savage a deficit as in the Côte d’Or, he is thrilled with the quality. 2010 Chablis unites ripe flavours with excellent acidity. As usual Benoît has managed his different terroirs with masterly precision, varying the amount of oak to suit each cuvée. Therefore, there is no wood for the Grand Cru Blanchots, but 50% for Les Grenouilles. This is a domaine that lets you choose wine that suits your palate.

From half a hectare of vines situated in the mid-slope at the heart of Les Clos, the southerly aspect is in evidence in the powerful, smoky and spicy aromas. The palate is weighty with citrus purity, a laser focus and chalky, chewy finish. Despite the complexity and layered feel of this wine, it still gives the impression of enormous further potential. Drink 2023-2033.

Fifty percent barrel-fermented, this is – as ever – incredibly complex and tightly wound. Packed with vibrant fruit on the entry, it tightens up with a core of citrus, finishing on notes of hot, flinty stones. Sublime. Drink 2022-2032.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

The Droins have been producing wines in Chablis for nearly 400 years (their history as vignerons goes back at least to 1620). Benoît represents the 14th generation, having taken over from his father Jean-Paul. The domaine owns 13 hectares of vineyards and produces 14 different wines, including seven Premiers Crus and five Grands Crus. Benoît runs a sophisticated operation from a large modern winery almost in the shadow of the Grands Crus. He has revised his pruning system and significantly reduced yields; while in the cellar the principal change has been away from new oak. Visiting Benoît Droin in spring 2017 was a sobering affair; row upon row of stainless steel tanks stood empty, their doors hanging open as a stark reminder of the damage caused by the frost and twin hailstorms of the nightmarish 2016 vintage. Despite making just half his normal crop, Benoît remained philosophical and announced himself delighted with the vintage, explaining that he feels there is greater concentration and better balance than the sunnier 2015s. Unfortunately, there is no Fourchaume this year.

Fèvre owns a sixth of the vines in Les Clos, mostly towards the top of the vineyard. The nose is incredibly complex with lots of oyster shell, iodine and citrus fruit. The palate is fine and precise, with an underlying concentration. There is a huge amount in reserve here, and this will require patience. Drink 2025-2037.

Didier has mixed emotions about the 2017 vintage; the quality is excellent, but thanks to the frost at the end of April, volumes are low, with their substantial holdings on the rive droite (right bank) particularly suffering. Up to 60 percent of the crop was lost in the Grands Crus, particularly Les Clos. Didier explained that, in comparison to 2016, the season post-frost was relatively simple, with warm, dry conditions and rain falling when required. He describes 2017 as a very classic vintage which offers acidity, freshness and tension.