2008 Chablis Les Pargues

As at some of the other top Chablis addresses I visit each year, this estate continues to refine its wines by adjusting its use of oak in various cuvees, both in response to the requirements of each new vintage and simply as a stylistic decision. As a result, these wines can be something of a moving target, although as a general rule I find much less evidence of the exotic, and sometimes a bit resiny, oak notes that occasionally plagued these wines as recently as six or seven years ago. Today's wines are cleaner than ever before but with no loss of their power or personality. Francois Servin told me that he uses a commercial yeast that produces a leisurely and relatively cool (20o to 22o C) fermentation, which gives the wines a more glyceral texture.

Marketing director Marc Cameron described the 2008 growing season as unique. "It was a long, cool season, dry at the end," he explained. "The acid levels stayed high and the north wind in September reduced yields. The alcoholic fermentations took a long time, probably because the juice was so cold at the start. This is unusual for Chablis and a good thing, since it gave the wines a more glyceral character." Cameron noted that potential alcohols were in the 12.5% to 13% range and that the wines were not chaptalized, adding that acidity levels after the malos were in the lofty 5 grams-per-liter range. The malos finished by the end of February but Francois Servin was still stirring the lees weekly at the time of my visit. Servin emphasized that he loves the "rich old style" of Chablis, but noted that because he presses more gently today, the wines have more precision and class while still retaining a lot of stuffing.