2016 Chablis Côte de Léchet 1er Cru

My first appointment in Chablis was with winemaker Gregory Viennois in the medieval surroundings of Domaine Laroche in the heart of the village. “We had frost and hailstorms in 2016. We lost around 40% in Chablis Village, 50% for the Premier Cru and 60% for the Grand Cru, though that is less than 2017 when we lost 55%, 60-65% and more than 70% in the Grand Cru. That year we cropped at just 15hl/ha. In 2016, we also lost some volume from green harvesting to manage the canopy. Winter was not very cold and the beginning of the season was rainy. September made the vintage. What we did in the vineyard in the previous months, de-leafing and so forth, was important. There were classic conditions for the ripeness of the grapes in September. The 2016 has been a discrete vintage and after the alcoholic fermentation when we tasted the wine, it was a revelation. The wines had fine new mineralité and purity, much more classic in style than we had thought. We started harvest on 26 September as the fruit was slow in ripening but it was very important to pick on exactly the right day, something we learned in 2013. We now have six presses so we can separate all the cuvées coming in at reception, which means you don’t have to wait. I think some people waited too long and lost freshness and purity of the fruit. We no longer use enzymes and conduct a very light filtration. I think 2016 is more delicate than 2014, but we are happy.” The 2016s from Laroche are reassuringly consistent from one cru to another, especially with respect to their Montmains and Vaillons Vieilles Vignes, with just the Vaucoupins raising some doubts in my mind. There is not a particular wine that leaps out and demands a place within the top tier of 2016s, but Laroche continues to be a domaine in safe hands under Gregory Viennois.