2014 Chablis Vieille Voye

Technical Director Grégory Viennois is convinced that there will be two or three styles of wine in 2014, although he believes that the vintage was best “for late pickers who waited for fully ripe aromas.” Domaine Laroche started harvesting its 90 hectares of Chablis vines on September 14 but did not finish until September 29, as their vines in Fourchaume and L’Homme Mort “needed the late rain to ripen the skins.” As a rule, though, the berries were a healthy pale yellow, and acidity levels were a gram higher than those of 2013 across the board--“as high as 5.2 but not green,” according to Viennois. Cellarmaster Stéphane Barras made approximations of the final 2014 blends for my tasting.

The 2013s here have turned out very well. The team did a drastic selection in the vineyards and again for the final blends, and the eventual production was the smallest in 30 years. The élevage began with a smaller quantity of fine lees and less cold stabilization was necessary. Cellarmaster Barras noted that beginning in September of 2014, the wines became purer and more precise. Still, said Viennois, “the fruit in 2013 is about peach and flowers, not minerals. The wines are more open than the 2014s but not really exotic.” The harvest began on October 1 and was finished in eight days; normally it takes two weeks. “The fruit was green before the 1st,” noted Viennois.