2017 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru

I have visited Domaine Duplessis regularly in recent years. The winery is located in the heart of Chablis, overlooking the Sireine. Gérard Duplessis passed the reins on to his son Lilian, who in recent years converted the 9 hectares to organic and then biodynamic farming.

“There is no Petit Chablis in 2017 since we had just second generation grapes,” Lilian Duplessis explains. “Also, Chablis Fourchaume frosted on the first night. We started the harvest at the beginning of September, around 3rd or 4th. It was important to wait for the maturity of the Grand Crus. I asked myself about physiological ripeness and high alcohol level, whether I should pick earlier? I decided to wait in the end. You need 100 days of ripening after flowering. The vines need this to obtain the aromas, so the last cuvée came in around 14° alcohol. We picked at 25hl/ha in 2017 compared to 17hl/ha the previous year. But the 2016s will have a slightly longer élevage and will be bottled later this year. As always, we use 10% new oak just to renew the barrels so the rest are up to ten years old for the Premier Crus. The 2017 is a classic vintage with a good density.”

Domaine Duplessis can be a fine source of Chablis, especially for those seeking biodynamic wines, not that it matters much to me, since I judge quality irrespective of philosophy. Following a similar pattern of other domaines, the 2017s here just have a slight edge over the 2016s. The Montée de Tonnerre in particular is one of the domaine’s strongest cards. From time to time, I have found some of the wines very stubborn and closed in their youth so do not be afraid of cellaring them.