2016 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru

Stupidly I overlooked Domaine Christian Moreau when organizing my itinerary. Thankfully one apologetic phone call and a bit if itinerary shuffling enabled me to visit on my final day. I am glad it worked out, because Moreau is a great, quite consistent producer of Chablis. Winemaker Fabien Moreau, Christian’s son, explained the vintage. “The 2017 production was of small volume. We lost 65% of production, worse than in 2016. For the Chablis we picked at 35 hl/ha and Vaillon at 48hl/ha since just one hectare was touched by frost however, the Grand Crus represent the smallest production ever. For example, we cropped just 8hl/ha in Valmur. We were able to use candles in Les Clos so we picked at 22 hl/ha. We used them for eight nights, but the vines spent so many hours at 0° or -1° Celsius that they suffered a lot of fillage. Even during the day it was quite cold so that after six nights everyone was tired. Usually we sell some wine in bulk because we don’t have the space in the winery, but this year we kept everything.”

Two thousand sixteen brought a very small crop at this family estate, with yields between 20 and 25 hectoliters per hectare (and just 18 for the Valmur) due to the mix of hail, frost and mildew, according to winemaker Fabien Moreau. The Moreaus harvested between September 26 and October 2, bringing in their fruit with potential alcohol ranging from 11.5% to 12.5% and chaptalizing the lighter lots (Les Clos was left natural at 12.2%). Acidity levels were mostly between 3.8 and 4 grams per liter and pHs were healthy, said Fabien. Most of the ‘16s had been recently blended and moved into tanks at the time of my visit, but 20% of the Vaillons and Clos were still in oak.

Moreau offered a nuanced comparison between 2016 and 2015. He finds more minerality in general in the ‘16s and he prefers his Petit Chablis and Chablis in this vintage. “But the crus show more tension in 2015,” he told me. “They really turned out better than we expected, but the 2016s should also gain during their last months of élevage.” He noted that he was reluctant to estimate the potential aging curve of the ‘16s, as “with stressed vines, it’s hard to make a prediction about longevity.” While the 2015s can be enjoyed now for their fruit, he added, “they will be much more complex wines for the dinner table in five years.”