La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru L' Homme Mort 2020 (750ml)

 

Rated 92 points by by Burghound

 

A notably cooler and airier nose reflects notes of pretty citrus, mineral reduction and acacia blossom.  The sleeker and better detailed flavors aren't quite as rich or generously proportioned though the finish does evidence more minerality.  This too could use better depth.  VM

 

Rated 90 by Vinous Media

 

The 2020 Chablis L'Homme Mort 1er Cru is the most reductive on the nose amongst La Chablisienne's Premier Crus, though it opens with just 5-10 minutes in the glass.  The palate is well balanced with a lightly spiced entry, modest depth, a fine edgy acidity that lends frisson towards the finish with quite a persistent, peppery aftertaste.  Meliorates with aeration.  Give it a year in bottle.

 

A Dense & Aromatic Range

 

Produced from different terroirs, situated on the right-hand or left-hand banks of the Serein, the Chablis Premier Cru enable you to discover and better understand the great Kimmeridgian terroirs of Chablis.  Produced on vines planted predominantly on well-exposed south-west and south-east facing slopes, each wine is unique with its own individual personality.  As a result, certain Premier Cru are delicate and mineral, such as montée de Tonnerre or Côte de Léchet, others are softer and more fruity, such as Beauroy or floral and fleshy such as Fourchaume.  They reach their plenitude six to eight years after harvest.

 

La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru L' Homme Mort 2020

 

Lively and Minely

 

Appellation:  Chablis 1er Cru

 

Grape Variety:  Chardonnay

 

Soil and Subsoil:  Kimmeridgian, Clay-Limestone

 

Density:  5,500 to 6,500 plants /ha

 

Situation & Exposure:  On the right bank of the Serein in the commune of Maligny, at the far end of Les Fourchaumes.  South-west exposure.

 

Average Age of Vines:  25 Years.

 

Vinification:  Cold settling before fermentation.  Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks and barrels.

 

Maturing:  Approximately 12 months on fine lees in tanks and barrels

 

Winemaker Notes

 

• Pale gold in colour, a limpid and brilliant wine.

 

• Initially fresh and deliciously floral on the nose, enhanced by a touch of minerality.

 

• Becomes more intense on aeration.

 

• Nicely fresh, taut and immediate in the mouth with fine precision.

 

• Long, finely mineral finish.

 

• A Chablis 1er Cru designed for keeping.

 

Chablis

 

A Single Unique Grape Variety, Chardonnay

 

The extraordinary renown of Chablis wines comes from the unique grape variety: Chardonnay.  And it is in Burgundy, its birthplace, where its quality has become synonymous with the most flamboyant wines.  On the Chablis hillsides which follow the river Serein it has developed a perfect harmony with its terroir.  A harmony originally anticipated by the monks of Cîteaux.  It was these same monks who founded Pontigny Abbey back in the 12th century and who introduced the ancestors of today’s vineyards.  The work of these monks is essential in understanding the wines of today.

 

The lengthy selection of the best terroirs, harvest after harvest while identifying and cloning the best plants, perfecting winegrowing methods and experimenting with different vinification techniques; such was the immense contribution made by monastic viticulture in Burgundy.  This is exactly the philosophy that we find today in La Chablisienne.

 

 

La Chablisienne

 

Since 1923

 

The story begins back in 1923.  Under the leadership of Abbé Balitrand, a number of winegrowers joined forces to better withstand the economic difficulties of the period.  Together, in the middle of the Chablis vineyards, they created a cooperative winery to market their wines.

 

Until the mid-1950s, the members of the cooperative delivered their production to La Chablisienne, who was then responsible for creating the blends and for selling them, mainly to wholesalers.

 

However, La Chablisienne wanted to go much further and create a style of its own.  So it was decided that the harvest would be delivered in the form of musts (unfermented juice), a particularity that has become the trademark of the house and giving it total control over the winemaking processes.  There is constant information sharing between the winegrowers and the technicians, linking the quality of the musts to the parcels that produced the grapes thus ensuring the best possible technical guidance.

 

La Chablisienne, in true pioneer spirit, has never ceased to meet a wide range of challenges in areas as diverse as winegrowing and winemaking, human resources and marketing.  It is the meticulous work of all those involved that gives wines which constantly improve with the passage of time.

 

The Vineyards

 

The Chablis vineyards are some of the oldest in France.  Over many years, the exceptional reputation of the white wines, produced from Chardonnay grapes, has spread to all four corners of the world.  Cultivated on both banks of the river Serein, the vines of the appellation encompass seventeen villages.  The unique character of the wines originates in the predominantly Kimmeridgian soil where we find sediment composed of large quantities of fossilised oysters called exogyra virgula.

 

This exceptional soil, which is found in a few other places throughout the world, gives the terroir its minerality, finesse, and incomparable crystalline tonality.

 

Winemaking

 

The winemaking process, essential to revealing the full richness and complexity of the Chablis terroirs, begins immediately after the harvest when the member winegrowers press the grapes to extract the juice.  And it is carried out as near as possible to the vines themselves to guarantee the optimal quality of the musts.

 

La Chablisienne then takes over, carrying out the racking, fermentation (both alcoholic and malolactic) and maturing stages.  We use the best equipment to ensure that every nuance and all the depth of the Chablis wines are preserved and revealed.  Fermentation and maturing take place either in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats or in 228-litre oak barrels for certain selected wines.

 

La Chablisienne Terroirs

 

The Chablis terroirs are a reflection of the Chablisienne vineyards.  Predominantly Kimmeridgian, with alternating marls and marl limestone along with deposits of fossilized oyster shells that give great personality to the Chablisienne wines and stamp them with their characteristic minerality.  Precisely located and defined, each terroir produces unique wines, each with its own character and capacity to evolve and develop.  Petit Chablis wines are perfect after one to three years while Chablis needs between two and five years according to the cuvee.  Chablis Premier Crus and Chablis Grand Crus are wines with more ageing potential, needing five to ten years cellaring.  How the climat (a specific plot within a vineyard) is exposed to the sun is of major importance in defining how the resulting wine expresses itself.

 

 

Rated 92 points by by Burghound

 

A notably cooler and airier nose reflects notes of pretty citrus, mineral reduction and acacia blossom.  The sleeker and better detailed flavors aren't quite as rich or generously proportioned though the finish does evidence more minerality.  This too could use better depth.  VM