whiteburgvalue

2019  

2020  Chablis

"The 2020 Chablis Les Ardillers confirms the promise it revealed in barrel. Offering up notes of citrus oil, green apple, white flowers and wet stones, framed by a hint of smoky reduction, it's medium to full-bodied, with a satiny attack and a racy spine of acidity, concluding with a saline finish. This chiseled wine is fleshier and more textural than the Chablis 45°." - 91pts WA

2020  Les Copains d'Abord

Les Copains d'Abord ---- The 2020 Saint-Bris Les Copains d'Abord is lovely, exhibiting aromas of gooseberry, pear, orange oil, mint and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and precise, with chalky grip and a penetrating finish, it transcends its cépage." - 90-92pts William Kelley, Wine Advocate ---- One of my most exciting discoveries in Chablis and the Auxerrois was fledgling Domaine Clément Lavallée. Clement's father is the proprietor of a substantial, modern and mechanized domaine in Saint-Bris, but Clément's aspirations were more artisanal. He started his own label in 2019, with just 3.5 hectares supplemented by purchased fruit - a surface that's grown to 5.5 hectares today. Eschewing herbicides, he cultivates the soils with lightweight tractors and keeps chemical treatments to the minimum. Working with a variety of sites and cépages, harvest lasts a full month. In the cellar, whites see a long pressing, with Clément selling in bulk any juice that doesn't please him, and reds see long macerations with a percentage of whole bunches. Élevage takes place in used wood on the lees, and the wines are never pumped. What I tasted on this first visit indicates that Lavallée hit the ground running with his very first vintage. Textural but incisive, pure and penetrating, I was immensely impressed by these young wines - from pungently mineral Chablis, to perfumed and intense reds, to Saint-Bris that's more Auxerrois than it is Sauvignon, everything here comes warmly recommended, and I encourage importers to beat a path to this new domaine's door.

2019  Monthelie Blanc 'Les Sous Roches'

Monthelie Blanc 'Les Sous Roches' Soil: Oxford white marl. The extremely draining nature of the soil, combined with the repeated climatic incidents that this area has experienced for several years has made the production of this wine long and complicated. Exposition: East. The vines are planted on a very steep slope beneath a rock bank (“Les Sous Roches”). This dominant position offers a magnificent view of the vineyards of Monthélie, Meursault, and the Bresse plain. First Planting: In 2012 from massive selections of Chardonnays and qualitative clones. Plant Density: 11,000 vines/ha Harvest: Very small first harvest in 2017 (10 hl / ha), 6 years after planting. Vinification: Pneumatic pressing of the whole harvest. Natural yeasts. Alcoholic (11 months) and malolactic fermentation in barrels (30% new). Light fining and filtration on pure cellulose plates. Tasting Notes: Pure with little sulfur. Dry, clear, & precise character. Subtle fruit, prominent mineral flavors, and firm acidity.

2019  

89-91 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous ---- The 2019 Chablis Village is matured in stainless steel tank for 10 months. It has a tightly wound bouquet with scents of orange blossom and a touch of tinned apricot; good delineation here. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, and lively from the start, offering plenty of citrus fruit joined by desiccated orange peel and a touch of spice on the finish. Excellent.

2020  Cotes d'Auxerre Blanc

Cotes d'Auxerre Blanc ---- "Lavallée's 2020 Bourgogne Côtes d'Auxerre Blanc is very promising, offering up notes of citrus, Anjou pear, green apple and white flowers. Medium-bodied, elegantly fleshy and concentrated, it's fine-boned but intensely flavored. It's produced from deep but stony soils and, in total, amounts to a mere four barrels." - 88-90pts William Kelley, Wine Advocate ---- One of my most exciting discoveries in Chablis and the Auxerrois was fledgling Domaine Clément Lavallée. Clement's father is the proprietor of a substantial, modern and mechanized domaine in Saint-Bris, but Clément's aspirations were more artisanal. He started his own label in 2019, with just 3.5 hectares supplemented by purchased fruit - a surface that's grown to 5.5 hectares today. Eschewing herbicides, he cultivates the soils with lightweight tractors and keeps chemical treatments to the minimum. Working with a variety of sites and cépages, harvest lasts a full month. In the cellar, whites see a long pressing, with Clément selling in bulk any juice that doesn't please him, and reds see long macerations with a percentage of whole bunches. Élevage takes place in used wood on the lees, and the wines are never pumped. What I tasted on this first visit indicates that Lavallée hit the ground running with his very first vintage. Textural but incisive, pure and penetrating, I was immensely impressed by these young wines - from pungently mineral Chablis, to perfumed and intense reds, to Saint-Bris that's more Auxerrois than it is Sauvignon, everything here comes warmly recommended, and I encourage importers to beat a path to this new domaine's door.

2020  Chablis

"The 2020 Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru has a classy bouquet, quite complex with orchard fruit, struck flint and light peach skin scents. It conveys a sense of energy. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite penetrating towards its citric finish with a sapid aftertaste. This embraces the classic style of Chablis and should age well in bottle. Excellent. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis." - 94pts Vinous

2019  Pouilly-Fuisse