2016 Chablis Village

Servin is often overlooked by Chablis-lovers although I have a lot of time for their wines and for Australian-born winemaker Marc Cameron. Much of the production is sold in Japan, where the Servin name has a loyal following. The domaine has a wide range of Premier and Grand Crus that often repay bottle age, proven by a 1997 Chablis Les Clos that was just singing when recently tasted. That particular vineyard is usually their best wine, although do check out their Chablis Vieilles Vignes “Sélection Massale” as a keenly priced entry point to the Domaine. Readers should note that Marc Cameron make his own wine under the “Sonia & Marc Cameron” label in Bourgogne-Tonnerre, which I include in the “Irancy and St.-Bris” report that will be published in the coming weeks.

Domaine Servin will not offer a 2016 Chablis Vieilles Vignes Sélection Massale as virtually all of this fruit was lost to hail, along with 95% of their fruit in Les Pargues. But grand cru yields were “almost normal,” according to commercial director Marc Cameron. Mildew also affected some of the estate's grapes, which dried up and fell off the vines, especially as the weather turned drier and warmer in July. “The late weather saved what was left,” said Cameron. “If you got through June, you made it.” Domaine Servin started harvesting on September 26 and picked in five days; just a few of the wines were chaptalized—and even then several of the 2016s finished at a moderate 12.7% alcohol. “There wasn’t a big problem with botrytis,” Cameron explained. “We were able to pick so quickly because quantities were down 70%. Luckily, 2015 had been a nice average harvest in terms of quantity. In fact, we’re still trying to hold back some wine, but everyone wants Chablis. We're not looking for new customers today.”

Cameron noted that it’s hard to compare 2016 to an earlier year, but added that nowadays there are no typical vintages for Chablis. “The ‘16s are missing a bit of body and weight for serious longevity,” he offered. “They’re not especially rich wines but they have a glyceral, silky mouthfeel.” Acidity level finished at 4 grams per liter or a bit less.

Owner/winemaker François Servin, who is trying to push back the bottling dates of his grand crus, is a fan of the 2015s, noting that “the Montée de Tonnerre was the only vineyard we had to rush to pick. We actually picked the Clos and the other grand crus at the end, at least a week later.” When I asked Servin for his predictions on the likely longevity of this crop of wines, he responded that “it’s a bit scary how well they’re tasting now; they’re real crowd-pleasers. And you don’t have to go to the grand cru level to get great, outstanding wines in 2015; there are a lot of terrific premier crus. You really have to get everything right, including using the appropriate glassware and opening your bottles at the right age, for the grand crus to justify their price premiums. But premier crus can knock people out. And they age almost as well as the grand crus.”