2011 Chablis Beauroy 1er Cru

William Fevre winemaker Didier Seguier has an unusually broad view of Chablis because he vinifies fruit from just about every important site in the region. In 2012, the April 17 frost was most damaging to precocious 1er and Grand Cru sites, where yields were lowered anywhere from minimally to dramatically. Later ripening sites were spared, but nature chose to be cruel, as the most significant losses impacted many of the finest vineyards. Hail was also an issue. Yields in the most affected sites were just 18-35 hectoliters per hectare the lowest Seguier has seen. The harvest began on September 12 and ended on October 2, a fairly tight window for the estate. Seguier's preference is to pick on the early side, and few of the wines were lightly chaptalized. The malos were late to finish. Seguier reports that the Fevre 2012s have both more acidity and higher sugars than 2010, with the main difference being that in 2012 ripeness was achieved by heat, while 2010 maturation was more gradual and tempered by the winds of the north. I tasted all of the 2012s from tank. Seguier planned to bottle the 1er Crus from September to December and the the Grand Crus shortly thereafter. Readers will have to be selective with the 2011s, as quality is inconsistent throughout the range. Most of the 2011s will drink well early, and in general this is a vintage to drink before either 2010 or 2012.The 2011s ripened in August, when the days are long and the nights are short, as opposed to September, when the longer cooler nights help preserve acidity.

Didier Seguier, as is his habit, picked early in 2012, beginning on September 12, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol ranging from 12% to 13% (the wines were lightly chaptalized).Yields were in the very low 18 to 30 hectoliters-per-hectare range for the grand crus."The April 21 frost explains the small crop," he told me. "But the early terroirs were much more affected.In the peripheral vineyards we made the normal yields."The alcoholic fermentations went quickly but the malos were late, and some wines had only been racked the week before my visit.According to Seguier, acidity levels in the wines are similar to those of 2010 (around 4.5 grams per liter), and the amount of tartaric acidity is higher than in 2011."Because of the good acidity, you don't feel the sugar and richness so much," he noted.Seguier told me that he is now using no more than 10% oak to vinify his wines, and no new barrels. Also recommended:2012 Chablis Champs Royaux (86).

Didier Seguir at Fevre was among the first producers to bring in his 2011s. The 2011 harvest at Fevre started on August 31st, the earliest harvest on record with the exception of 2003. Winemaker Didier Seguir was quick to add that 2011 was a precocious year, but not as shockingly hot as 2003. Early April and May were very hot, which led to a very early flowering, but then temperatures moderated in June. Hail at the end of June and early July affected Fourchaume, Vaulorent, Preuses, Vaudesir and Clos, all on the right bank, where production was down 5-30%, which placed yields at 40-50 hectoliters per hectare as opposed to the 50-60 that were obtained on the left bank, where hail was not an issue. Seguir lightly chaptalized some of the wines, and noted that the acidities came in around 4-4.5%, which he describes as moderate (along the lines of 2000 and 2002) and lower than 2008 and 2010. When the Fevre wines are young, they appear to be very tight and in need of cellaring. At the same time, it is hard for me to suggest holding these wines for more than a few years, as I have personally had a lot of issues with premature oxidation with Fevre wines from my own cellar. To be fair, since 2007 all of the wines have been sealed with the Diamant corks which are made from a combination of natural and synthetic materials designed to allow for the gradual exchange of oxygen that is so important for wines to age gracefully with more reliability than standard cork. The 2011 Petit Chablis was bottled at the end of April 2012, followed by the Champs Royaux in May and the Chablis (domaine) in early June. All of the other 2011s were still aging on their less in tank. As has been the custom here for the last few years, Seguir does a fairly short elevage in largely neutral oak that lasts 4-6 months, after which the wines age in tank. Note: the overwhelming majority of the Fevre wines are Domaine Fevre, but there are a few wines in this lineup that are made from purchased fruit. Those wines are identified as (maison) in the wine name. There are two bottlings that are made in both a domaine and maison version, the straight Chablis (I only tasted the domaine bottling) and the Montmains (I tasted both). The 2010 premier crus were bottled after the 2011 vintage, while the grand crus were bottled last December.

As is standard practice here, the 2011 harvest began very early, on August 31, and took a full two weeks, but winemaker Didier Seguier pointed out that even August 31 was already 105 days after the flowering, which is several days longer than the norm."We wanted to pick grapes that were neither too sharp nor too limp," he told me.Grape sugars were generally in the 11.5% to 12% range; the finished premier crus will be 12.6% or 12.7% and the grand crus 12.7% or 12.8%.Parcels affected by rot were carefully sorted and the team did a longer debourbage to ensure the crisp, pristine style for which this producer is known.All the 2010s were in tank on their fine lees at the time of my visit.Incidentally, Seguier is a major proponent of the 2010s."It's the most consistent and the best vintage in my 14 years in Chablis," he said.