Domaine Laroche : Chablis Grand cru "Les Blanchots" 2023

Characteristics and tasting tips for the Chablis Grand cru "Les Blanchots" 2023 from Domaine Laroche

Tasting

Appearance
The appearance displays a luminous golden hue with crystalline highlights.

Nose
The bouquet unveils a marked minerality accompanied by delicate notes of white flowers. Wet limestone aromas bring a noble dimension and remarkable aromatic finesse.

Palate
On the palate, this wine seduces with its elegance and delicacy. The mineral structure expresses itself fully, offering crystalline purity and persistent length.

Food and wine pairings

This Chablis Grand cru "Les Blanchots" 2023 pairs ideally with fish with hollandaise sauce, lobster salad or aged goat cheeses.

Service and cellaring

The Chablis Grand cru "Les Blanchots" 2023 is best served at a temperature between 12 and 14°C. This wine has a cellaring potential beyond 2033, allowing its aromas to develop over time.

A Chablis Grand Cru of crystalline purity

The estate

An iconic figure of Chablis, Domaine Laroche draws its origins from a thousand-year-old heritage, dating back to the 9th century. Since joining the Advini group in 2009, it has perpetuated a tradition of high standards and precision, producing wines of remarkable elegance. Each cuvée highlights the uniqueness of the Chablis climates, through respectful viticulture and custom vinification.

The vineyard

The Les Blanchots climat is distinguished by its very steep south-east facing slope. Its name comes from the abundant white clays covering the hillside. The Kimmeridgian subsoil composed of green and blue clays reveals ammonite fossils that can reach 70 centimeters. This clay retains water deep down for the roots, allowing for slow ripening without aromatic degradation. This Kimmeridgian limestone terroir covered with white clays with bluish highlights limits water stress. The site is particularly adapted to recent hotter summers, offering protection and finesse. Domaine Laroche cultivates approximately one third of this Chablis climat.

The vintage

The 2023 vintage reveals itself in Burgundy as generous and high quality. The vineyard was protected from climatic and sanitary pressures during winter and spring. The heat at the end of August improved the ripening trajectory. Plot-by-plot harvest dates preserved the freshness and minerality typical of Chablis despite unusually rapid ripening. The harvest took place from September 7th, starting with the Premier Cru Côte de Léchet, until September 21st for the Chablis. The first juices revealed rich and balanced aromatics. The potential proves comparable to that of 2020, with yields returning to satisfactory historical averages.

Vinification and aging

The harvest of the Chablis Grand cru "Les Blanchots" 2023 is carried out manually, followed by sorting of the bunches at the estate. Low-pressure pneumatic pressing allows for the separation of juice fractions, with only the hearts of the press being retained. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentations take place 70% in French oak barrels in the historic cellars of the Obédiencerie in Chablis, and 30% in stainless steel vats. Total aging, from fermentation to bottling, extends up to 16 months.

Grape variety

100% Chardonnay.