Winetasters @Home
Episode 6 – April Tasting
Chablis 1er Cru 2014 v 2015
Wednesday, April 28^th, 7:00 PM

Mark your calendar for this fascinating event – comparing two very different vintages of 1er Cru Chablis. Members may experience this Google Meet event for $85 ($105 for non-members) – prices include HST. Further details appear below, and you can sign up for this event by clicking on this link. Note that this event is limited to 48 tasting sets.

This should be a most interesting tasting. 2014 had cool summer, followed by the hottest September on record. The result was absolutely classic wines with typical steely minerality, taught and lean balanced with a delicious ripeness – the quintessence of Chablis. The top wines are for the long haul. 2015 shows the easier, more approachable side of Chablis. A warm summer was spoiled by hail in mid-September. The vines that were not destroyed gave ample fruit resulting in delicious mid-term Chablis.

Our tasting features four 1er Crus, three from the more favored South West facing Right bank of the Serein, where all the Grands Crus vineyards are located; and one from the Left bank. For each of these, we have an example from 2014 and from 2015.

We are delighted to have Thomas Bachelder lead us through this tasting. He is well known to our members as the quintessential Burgundy enthusiast and he will make this an entertaining and informative tasting.

Montée de Tonnerre is at the heart of Chablis, adjacent to Blanchot on the SE corner of the block of Grands Crus vineyards. Regarded by many as the best 1er cru (Samuel Billaud calls it le petit Grand Cru), its early austerity matures into mineral elegance. Mont de Milieu adjoins MdT to the SE. Some parts of it give wines that are a little more airy or floral while the best SE facing slopes give more incisive wines. Our examples should lean to the latter. Fourchaume is NW of the block of Grands Crus with more soil. The wines are more supple and approachable earlier, however, there is quite a variety of styles. Montmains lies across the river. With more clay, its wines have richness and depth.

Our wines come from excellent producers: Laroche, Pinson, Billaud-Simon, Pascal Bouchard, and Jadot.

For those of you who do not want to cook that evening, we are again partnering with Vintage Conservatory for a dinner option. Details will be available nearer the time.

Distribution and Call for Volunteers

As with previous @Home events, the wines will come carefully decanted into 2 OZ bottles. You will be able to pick up your tasting package either at the downtown location on Lombard St (Queen & Church) or at the uptown location at Avenue Road and 401 (just north of the 401). Full details will be in the confirmation email. Also, if you want to recycle bottles from previous tastings, you can bring them, washed, to the pick-up. (We will of course wash and sterilize prior to next use).

COVID seems to be hanging around for the near future and we would like to accommodate more members and their guests for future @home events. We are seeking additional volunteers to reach out to our membership as additional pick-up points outside of Toronto. Idea is that the volunteers would pick up at the primary distribution points and become sub-distribution points. If you are interested in being a sub-distributor please drop us a line with contact details and postal code. Lots to work out here but let’s give it a try.

We are also seeking volunteers with marketing experience to help us with the development of a social media strategy and execution of that strategy.

List of wines

2014 Domaine Laroche Chablis Les Fourchaumes Vieilles Vignes Premier Cru

(90% from clay-rich Homme Mort): Ripe aromas of citrus peel, crushed stone, anise, and brown spices. A step up in texture, ripeness, and salinity from the Fourneaux, combining a touch of sweetness with an impression of power. This dense, concentrated wine is carried nicely on the long finish by lemony citricity, with a tannic element nicely buffered by the wine’s density and ripeness. 91 points, Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, July 2016.

2015 Domaine Pinson Frères Chablis Fourchaume Premier Cru

(from vines in Vaupulent; done entirely in cuve): Reticent, slightly reduced aromas of orange zest and yeasty baked bread. A soft citrus fruit bomb in the mouth in a broad, fat style. The Pinsons always pick this fruit early but may have been delayed a bit in 2015 owing to the need to start with the hailed-on vineyards. Large-scaled, honeyed wine with plenty of palate presence, but a bit warm at 13% alcohol. 89 points, Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, July 2016.

2014 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru

Hints of yellow fruits on the nose, with complicating notes of white pepper and crushed oyster shell; smells austere. A bit sweeter on entry than the Mont de Milieu but even more backward and stony today in spite of the roundness of texture. In a more refined style, a hint of orange oil giving this bone-dry premier cru a sexy suggestion of sweetness. Finishes with penetrating minerality. 92 points, Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, July 2016.

2015 Louis Jadot Montee de Tonnerre 1er Cru

Professional tasting notes are not available.

2015 Domaine Billaud-Simon 1er Cru Chablis Mont de Milieu

Cool stoniness greets the nose, picking up peach and melon flavors, before converging on the tangy mouthwatering finish. Shows terrific harmony and length. 93 points, Wine Spectator, December 2017.

2014 Domaine Billaud-Simon 1er Cru Chablis Mont de Milieu

Green plum and melon fruit pervade this intense, bracing, and compact white, which leans toward the austere side in the balance, staying long on the steely, chalky finish. Best from 2018 through 2027. 94 points, Wine Spectator, March 2017.

2015 Pascal Bouchard Montmains Premier Cru Les Vieilles Vignes

This vineyard on the left, cooler bank of the River Serein brings out great minerality in its wines even in warm vintages such as this. Full of ripe yellow fruits, textured and still young, the wine has a toasty character from wood aging. Drink this rich wine from 2021. 92 points, Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, October 2018.

2014 Pascal Bouchard Montmains Premier Cru Les Vieilles Vignes

The flint and chalk nature of the soil shows in this wine. From old vines well situated in the Premier Cru of Montmains, it has concentration and a tight, young texture that will need to develop. It is fresh and full of citrus now, although a riper, creamy character will be coming through as it matures. Drink from 2018. 94 points, Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, May 2016.