2012 Chablis Les Vaillons Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru

According to technical director Gregory Viennois, as of 2012 Domaine Laroche cut back drastically on its use of SO2, relying more instead on CO2 and nitrogen before bottling.The result will almost certainly be wines with less early hardness than previously.Viennois prefers the finished 2012s to the 2010s here, which he said included some overripe fruit and a bit more noble rot.The estate harvested over a period of two full weeks in 2012 (September 24 through October 8), with the crus brought in by hand during the first week.Potential alcohol levels were in the 12.2% to 13% range and the wines were not chaptalized.The 2013 harvest took place during the first ten days of October.Judging from my early look at the estate's premier crus, the new vintage possesses less flesh, depth and ripeness than the 2012s but displays the intensity that comes from low yields. Also recommended:2013 Chablis Saint-Martin (85-87).