Domaine Laroche, Chablis Premier Cru Les Vaudevey 2019: best price for this excellent white, ‘satiny’ and ‘vibrant’, ‘another success’ says Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: three bottles delivered

Domaine Laroche is based in ‘L’Obédiencerie’, a former monastery in the village of Chablis where wine has been made for over 1,000 years. The domaine consistently produces impeccable wines, defined by the Chablis hallmark of crystalline purity and racy acidity.

Domaine Laroche’s vineyard ownership notably sets them apart from their main competitors. Chablis is a fragmented region and it is uncommon for producers to own large vineyard holdings. However, Domaine Laroche owns 90 hectares of vines in the appellation, including 21 hectares of Premier Cru and six hectares of Grand Cru vineyards. In addition to these vineyards, the domaine has developed long-standing purchasing partnerships with 40 small growers and works closely with them on their vineyard management. This historic domaine continues to make and mature their Premier and Grand Cru wines in the monastery’s original cellars. Despite their impressive history, Domaine Laroche is dynamic and a modern outlook permeates everything they do.

Domaine Laroche takes a meticulous approach to winemaking under the stewardship of their technical director and winemaker Romain Chevrolat. Despite being only 30 years old, Romain already has an impressive CV, including a stint at the mythical Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Romain’s philosophy centres on the notion that to create the purest expression of Chablis, the domaine must first focus on their vineyards. As a result, Domaine Laroche has implemented sustainable viticultural practices, farming without artificial pesticides or herbicides. They have planted cover crops to improve soil water retention and minimise erosion on the steeper slopes, following biodynamic principles in their Grand Cru parcels and supporting programmes to protect biodiversity. This includes installing beehives in the Vaudevey valley and working closely with a Burgundian bird protection charity, to reintroduce endangered species of owls to the area. In the winery, they ferment their wines with indigenous yeast and embrace a minimal intervention approach.

Honouring the patron saint of Chablis, the ‘Saint Martin’ blends from Domaine Laroche’s best Chablis Villages sites. 15% is fermented in used oak barrels, adding texture to the palate and complementing the quintessential Chablis crystalline acidity. The ‘Essence des Climats’ is another example of Romain’s blending skills, this time utilising various Chablis Premier Crus planted on the region’s famed Kimmeridgian clay soils. The Premier Cru ‘Vaudevey’ conveys this remarkable site’s unique sense of place, characterised by vivacity and freshness. This steep east-southeast-facing vineyard is bathed in the morning sun, before being more shaded in the afternoon, resulting in a slower ripening of the grapes.

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