2015 Chablis Moutonne Monopole Grand Cru

In the absence of régisseur Matthieu Mangenot, I tasted at Long-Depaquit this year with his assistant Alexandre Colas, who told me that the estate’s 2016s had been stirred and sulfited about three weeks before my visit (as the lees were still being stirred, the wines were all cloudy). Yields in the crus were almost normal in 2016, according to Colas, who said that very little fruit had to be eliminated at harvest time. The estate uses 228-liter barrels and a few 350s but no larger-format oak containers.

“The challenge in 2015 was to find the balance between acidity and alcohol,” said estate manager Matthieu Mangenot. “We thought 2015 would be like 2003 but the wines do not show surmaturité,” he added. “They’re solid and opulent but not out of whack; 2015 was a hot year that produced fruity wines.” Mangenot credited well-timed rains for keeping the foliage more or less green all year and noted that the estate barely needed to use its sorting table for the second consecutive year. Domaine Long –Dépaquit started harvesting on September 3, with the effects of the hail worst in their Blanchots vines. Grape sugars were between 12.3% and 12.6%, and the wines were lightly chaptalized to 12.8% to 13%. The malolactic fermentations were finished before Christmas and acidity levels range between 3.6 and 3.8 grams per liter.

Mangenot now feels that 2014 “has all the ingredients to be a great vintage: aromatic complexity, opulence, great acidity, lovely precision.” The wines benefitted from longer élevage, taking on more volume, he added. Mangenot believes that the 2014s will be as long-lived as the 1996s. “Two thousand ten was very good, but 2014 is a bit less ripe and better balanced. The 2014s are for drinking after the 2015s, which are joyous wines.” He recommended holding the 2014 premier crus for seven to ten years and the grand crus for longer.

In the estate’s new cuverie, all of the crus are vinified with whole clusters and Mangenot is able to press more carefully. “Being able to work with much finer lees makes a bit difference in the wines,” he told me.