2012 Le Domaine d'Henri Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume

eRobertParker.com #220 Aug 2015
Neal Martin
89
The 2012 Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume, which was aged in 11% oak barrels, has a taut and mineral-driven bouquet with light touches of dried mango and honeysuckle that develop in the glass. The palate is fresh on the entry with apricot and citrus peel, fine acidity and a pleasing sense of linearity toward the finish. This is well worth checking out - a stylish debut. Michel Laroche is posing for a photograph with his daughter Margaux and insists on showing his "best side"...and with good reason. He's not being a narcissist. He was involved in what he described as "my only motorbike accident in 30 years," which is probably one too many for most. To his chagrin, he was not even going fast, but rather had the misfortune of falling straight onto his face and by the number of stitches holding it together, hit the ground hard. Later that evening I inquire whether he will ever get back into the saddle of his motorbike? "I've already been back on," he replies with a gap-toothed grin. After selling stake in his namesake company a couple of year ago, Michel was never going to rest. "After promised myself that when I reached sixty, I would go back to something a bit smaller," he explained as we toured the vat-room that still smelled of fresh cement. Whereas Domaine Laroche employs over 200 people, here at Le Domaine d'Henri there are just 10 employees, including Michel himself - exactly how he likes it. It is a recent addition to the Chablis scene, the brand spanking new winery on your left as you enter the village. One has the sense that this new project is not just for Michel but for his children to build. The nucleus of vineyards, Village Cru and in Fourchaume, comes from parcels that Michel's parents owned, though there will be continued expansion has lease agreements run their course over the next few years, which will include further Village Cru vines and in Bongrain. Now there are around 18 or 19 hectares under vine, Michel informing that there should be around 22 hectares once they take possession of all their holdings. So as you would expect, the first offerings are limited to just three or four label, his Fourchaume split according to age of vine with a Vieille Vignes bottling from those planted in 1970 and a Héritage bottling from vines planted back in 1937. There is also a second label that Michel uses: "Les Allées du Domaine," whenever he feels that they don't quite meet the requisite level. If visiting the domaine, you'll see a small parcel of vines that were planted this year as part of a selection massale program. "There are 200 vines," Michel told me as we surveyed them from the first floor window, "and I've only lost five vines due to degeneration." They will eventually be used to make a Vin de Table. I tasted everything that the Domaine has produced since their debut in 2012, including barrel samples of 2014. Starting with that particular vintage, Michel told me how he cropped at 46 hectoliters per hectare, 10 hectoliters per hectare below his expectations earlier in the season due to the warmth that concentrated the berries during September. He also appreciates how these are "impressionable" wines that express the terroir. This contrasts with the much more difficult 2013s that were blended in June last year, where Michel found wines at different levels, so much so that following the "catastrophic" spring and a very late harvest at the beginning of October, that he was not inclined to bottle any "Héritage." The 2012 was his debut for the Domaine, and it was clear that Michel has a lot of time for this vintage that he compared to 2002. Readers should note that there is no St Pierre this year because he was yet to repossess the vines that were under lease.