2014 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru

This estate picked its hail-affected vines in Clos, Blanchots and Montée de Tonnerre first, beginning on September 4. According to commercial director Marc Cameron, the rain that accompanied the hail speeded up the ripening process and actually saved the harvest. The grapes swelled, he said, but thanks to their thick skins, the flavors remained clean. Total acidity levels in the post-malo ‘15s average about 4 grams per liter, with some pHs as low as 3.1, he went on, adding that alcohol levels are between 12.5% and 13%, with some wines lightly chaptalized. Cameron told me that the vintage reminds him of 2006 (“they have similar numbers”) and that the 2015s are more generous and open than the 2014s, which have more acidity, structure and soil character. “The 2015s will be easier to drink earlier,” he noted.

For his part, proprietor/winemaker François Servin is happy to have what he described as “some deeper Chablis; 2015 is a good blend between classic Burgundy and the new style. Two thousand fifteen is similar to 2005 and 2009; some 2005s are a bit heavy now but others are fine. Our 2015s really need a long élevage; so far, they’ve been gaining in freshness.” Servin described 2014 as “a great vintage for aging but not like 2010, which is the ultimate long-aging vintage due to the small berries and higher ration of skin to juice. The 2010s haven’t yet moved,” he added. Cameron told me that his first impression of 2014 was that it was a very saline, minerally vintage, like the years prior to 1995. “The ‘14s have green acidity, structure and soil character,” he said, “but some people picked too early in ’14 after their experience with the ‘13s.”

According to commercial director Marc Cameron, this estate was able to pick slowly and precisely with no risk in 2014, beginning on September 15 and finishing two weeks later. Servin’s massalle vines, Cameron noted, ripen early, even ahead of the grand crus. Potential alcohol levels in 2014 were in the 12% to 12.5% range, and most wines were chaptalized about half a degree. The '14s finished with low residual sugar (between 0.8 and 1.5 grams per liter) and sound acidity in the 4.5 to 5.0 range, or about half a degree higher than the 2013s. Yields were as high as 60 hectoliters per hectare but the estate did not reach the official maximums in some crus. The malolactic fermentations were easy for a high-acid vintage, said Cameron, who considers the 2012s a bit better balanced than the ’14s at the grand cru level, because the earlier wines are not quite as ripe or high in alcohol. Like a number of his colleagues in Chablis, Cameron finds the 2013s better now that they're in bottle. “They’re even showing some minerality,” he said.

According to commercial director Marc Cameron, this estate was able to pick slowly and precisely with no risk in 2014, beginning on September 15 and finishing two weeks later. Servin’s massalle vines, Cameron noted, ripen early, even ahead of the grand crus. Potential alcohol levels in 2014 were in the 12% to 12.5% range, and most wines were chaptalized about half a degree. The '14s finished with low residual sugar (between 0.8 and 1.5 grams per liter) and sound acidity in the 4.5 to 5.0 range, or about half a degree higher than the 2013s. Yields were as high as 60 hectoliters per hectare but the estate did not reach the official maximums in some crus. The malolactic fermentations were easy for a high-acid vintage, said Cameron, who considers the 2012s a bit better balanced than the ’14s at the grand cru level, because the earlier wines are not quite as ripe or high in alcohol. Like a number of his colleagues in Chablis, Cameron finds the 2013s better now that they're in bottle. “They’re even showing some minerality,” he said.