Laroche's 2007 Chablis Les Clos - from a lower and downstream portion of this site, nearest the river - combines overtly, almost adamantly stony character with fresh lime, peach, fig, and hints of lanolin and vanilla from its slightly more than one-third barrel. Another very straight and long-lined expression of this site and vintage, it takes its sense of grip from chalky intensity, citrus zest, and fruit pit bitterness, but incorporates a richness of fruit that serves it well in a seamless and - although highly mineral - sappy and sensually satisfying mouthful. This is a powerful, relentlessly finishing, run-but-you-can-t-hide sort of wine that makes no apologies for the absence of nuance or nooks and crannies. I would anticipate it being worth following for a decade, though de la Bourdonnaye thinks longer.
Winemaker Denis de la Bourdonnaye seems bullish on his 2007s and their aging potential, despite emphasizing what he felt was the need to extensively work what lees he retained, and to bottle correspondingly later to avoid too-lean an impression. Having said that, de la Bourdonnaye then goes on to observe that he thinks the use of screw-cap closures - to which this estate was among the first in France to commit - is especially well-suited to the personality of the vintage, and to -the preservation of precision and minerality during long aging.- The majority of the 2007 wines here came in at little more than 12% potential alcohol, he relates, and chaptalization was negligible. It was announced in late September that Languedoc negociant Jeanjean had acquired Laroche, although early indications pointed toward continuity in the Chablis estate, with Michel Laroche remaining as director.
Importer: Remy-Cointreau USA, New York, NY; tel. (212) 424-2244
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