Yet another superb vintage from this stellar producer. Quantities available are small
Informative New Reviews from Bill Nanson
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Today we are delighted to present the complete range of 2020 Chablis from Domaine Long-Depaquit.
We offer 5 Premier Crus and 6 Grand Crus, all of which have been very well reviewed. There is no Montee de Tonnerre from 2019 as the vines have been pulled up for replanting.
The 2020 is being hailed as a classic vintage. It was an early harvest but dry rather than hot.
It was, according to Domaine Long-Depaquit’s Manager Matthieu Mangenot, “a very easy vintage to manage, in terms of viticulture”. With a 40% reduction in rainfall and over 300 hours more sunshine than average, there were next to no disease issues in the vineyard. The dry weather even retarded weed outbreaks and this meant little to no spraying was required in the vineyards.
But this shortage of water was bound to also stress the vines. “The drought caused the vines to slow down the maturation process of the grapes,” explained Mangenot. “This was quite an unusual phenomenon.” Since the growing season had started early, vignerons were looking to pick early, but the sugar in the grapes remained low throughout the summer and was only rising very slowly, pushing picking dates later and later. While this raised concerns over when to pick, it also provided many benefits to the final wine – benefits that would only become apparent after fermentation.
For Mangenot, the very slow maturation process allowed more acidity to be retained. The berries also remained very small, helping to increase concentration. Despite this, the potential alcohol remained very reasonable – producing much more “classic” levels in the finished wines, around 12.2-12.5%. The other advantage of this slow ripening was that, unlike in the last few hot vintages, there was a lot more time at harvest to pick. Vignerons could take their time and pick certain plots only at optimum ripeness. In fact, after a couple of days spent harvesting the more mature vineyards, Long-Depaquit took a two-day break and slowed down the picking, just to enable the grapes to reach that extra level of maturity.
Mangenot was so impressed by the fleshiness in his Premiers Crus and Grands Crus, he was confident enough to extend the wines’ élevage on their lees – adding further tension and flavour complexity to the wine. “It is a vintage with great ageing potential in terms of balance and acidic backbone,” he says, comparing it to 2017 or 2012 – very popular vintages for vignerons in Chablis, where the acidity is classic but there is flesh too. It is what he calls “a truer expression of Chablis”.
Andy Howard MW, Decanter Magazine wrote "Following on from the super-concentrated 2019s and the softer, peachier style of 2018, the word most heard during my recent visit to Chablis was ‘classic’. While 2020 may not quite have the linear acidity of 2014, there are a lot of similarities with 2017, another classic year. Although 2020 was a very early vintage, it was not a particularly hot one and managed to avoid the dramatic heat spikes of 2018 and 2019."
Domaine Seguinot-Bordet’s Jean-Francois Bordet, President of the BIVB Chablis commission, says "it was a very classic vintage". Olivier Bailly of Domaine Billaud-Simon echoes that verdict, confirming "2020 is a classic vintage more like 2014 and 2017 than 2018 or 2019".
Fine and Rare states "From what we have tasted this summer, the wines are excellent. The vintage offers great terroir focus, with each of the Premiers Crus and Grands Crus being unique in terms of flavour profile and structure. It looks set to be a classic vintage for the region, with lots of freshness and minerality – and a fascinating year in which to explore Chablis’s diversity. With production levels decimated in 2021, this will be a vintage to go long on."
We have added new reviews from Bill Nanson, The Burgundy Report. The reviews do not have scores but are very informative.
We offer all 11 Cuvees at a 15% Pre Arrival Discount.
All wines have diam closures.
The wines are enroute from France and will arrive early next month.
We also have some 2019's in the same shipment. You can view them here.
To view all Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis available click here.
To view our full range of Chablis from all producers click here.
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Chablis 1er Cru Les Beugnons 2020
Landed Price $112.00
Pre Arrival Price $95.00
18 bottles left
Jasper Morris MW
In bottle. Pale lemon colour, this has a much more classical Chablis nose, white fruit with marine notes, excellent tension, deeply crisp apple notes, a hint of lemon zest, full body, good persistence. Will need some ageing. 92 Points
Bill Nanson "The Burgundy Report"
This 2.3 hectare parcel is in the sub climate of Vaillons; Long-Depaquit was originally the only producer, but a couple more are declaring under this label now, rather than using the Vaillons label. ‘If you don’t take care here this can really go over-ripe very quickly – so the date of picking is crucial – the parcel is protected by the forest.’
A narrower but deeper nose, slowly expanding in the glass. Extra clarity and super fluidity to this wine. It’s mineral in style rather than fruit dominated – of course there’s still a nice agrume and citric acidity – but this is texturally fine and delicious – holding impressively in the finish. Bravo!
Tim Atkin MW
93 Points
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Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys 2020
Landed Price $112.00
Pre Arrival Price $95.00
18 bottles left
Burghound
A more elegant if more restrained nose combines notes of mineral reduction, honeysuckle and citrus zest. The finer and more intense flavors possess a lovely sense of underlying tension while displaying solid length on the chalky and bone-dry finish. Lovely and understated in style. 90-92 Points.
Bill Nanson "The Burgundy Report"
2 left-bank hectares worth. A more N-E exposure, almost unique for the 1ers, with less stones and more clay here so more acidity and florality.
Much broader and more mineral in aromatic style – adding flowers too. Larger in scale – melting with fine mineral flavour – that’s delicious today – maybe there’s something in the background that might develop in a less attractive, green, way – I’m not sure. But it’s delicious now, so I’d drink this young – I particularly like the finish
Tim Atkin MW
92 Points
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Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaillons 2020
Landed Price $112.00
Pre Arrival Price $95.00
Jasper Morris MW
In bottle. Clear attractive yellow, the nose is delightful and very typical, with that drier style, a little bit of dry lemon on the stones, this is very classical on the palate too, with a fine consistency throughout. Some verbena notes as well, pretty long and some flesh on the bones. 92 Points
Bill Nanson "The Burgundy Report"
A large cuvée of 4.3 hectares, from Les Epinottes (90%) plus a little Lys and Beugnons. Elevage with 10% 2-5 year-old oak, essentially from Vosges. Then blended back into tank.
That’s nice – it’s wider and more overtly complex from the start – a very attractive nose. Fresh, incisive of course mineral, but the citrus is more evident and mouth-watering here – pure Chablis again but more towards the fruit with this one. Bravo again, impressively great finishing too – just a different face to the Beugnons.
Tim Atkin MW
92 Points
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Chablis 1er Cru Montmains 2020
Landed Price $112.00
Pre Arrival Price $95.00
Neal Martin, Vinous
The 2020 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru has a lovely floral bouquet of orange blossom with hints of honeysuckle and jasmine. The palate is well balanced with a supple opening, slightly honeyed in texture and pithy toward the finish, revealing hints of peach skin and spices. This is a very promising Montmains that should age with style. 92 Points.
Bill Nanson "The Burgundy Report"
20% oak elevage. From Forêts
Broadened by a little oak – the first wine that shows some. Full, silken, really mouth-filling. Complex – actually gorgeously – flavoured. Just the oak is destabilizing a little today – wait 12 months and you probably won’t notice.
Tim Atkin MW
93 Points
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Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaucopins 2020
Landed Price $112.00
Pre Arrival Price $95.00
Decanter
Showing a steely edge to balance the slightly exotic, stone fruit characters on the nose, this is another classy Chablis from Long-Depaquit. A Premier Cru Chablis with plenty of concentration on the palate and a sunny character, yet framed by citrus acidity and a lingering mineral, salin finish. This has the power to age very well. Drinking window 2022-2027. 93 Points
Bill Nanson "The Burgundy Report"
5 hectares from Chichée, the exposure resembles Vaudesir. ‘A pivot wine between the 1er and grand crus here.’
A broader nose – there’s some ripe fruit but these aromas major on a deeper, faintly reductive minerality. In the mouth too – it’s a blend of riper fruit but finely fresh citrus-inflected minerality. I personally prefer the previous two but this has a great, very impressive finish.
Tim Atkin MW
93 Points
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Chablis Bougros Grand Cru 2020
Landed Price $207.50
Pre Arrival Price $176.50
18 bottles left
Burghound
The aromas of green fruit, lemon-lime and tidal pool are trimmed in hints of wood toast and menthol. There is again very solid mid-palate density to the more powerful and muscular flavors that possess a generous mouthfeel before tightening up on the impressively persistent if slightly rustic finale. This isn't refined but it certainly makes a statement. 91-94 Points
Bill Nanson "The Burgundy Report"
The most open and airy – it’s a fine invitation. Mouth-filling – concentration here, extra ripeness of fruit too. A generous wine of richness and just enough energy visible today to balance that – as the fruit slowly narrows with age the balance will be more overt. The finish is broad and delicious despite a noticeable creamy accent of the barrel. That’s very good today – if a little oaky – and it will only improve with time.
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Chablis Les Blanchots Grand Cru 2020
Landed Price $210.00
Pre Arrival Price $178.00
18 bottles left
Tim Atkin MW
Like the Preuses, this undergoes aging entirely in oak, but in oak of two to three uses. The oak is slightly less marked here as the wine is more exotic with pineapple, mango and green tea notes. The mid-palate is slightly custardy, and there's a hint of tannin on the finish that cleans up the concentrated palate with the punchy acidity. 2023-32. 94 Points
Jasper Morris MW
Mid lemon yellow. The bouquet is remarkably elegant, given its power, strongly floral but more summer flowers than the usual edelweiss, this is really pretty too in the mouth with ripe nectarines infused by the kimmeridgian purity. 92-94 Points
Bill Nanson "The Burgundy Report"
1.5 hectares from the end of the valley, near the trees, almost always harvested 1 week after Les Clos.
Tighter – in bottle 3 weeks – here’s a faint salinity, very slowly growing in the glass. Mouth-filling, quite wide and panoramic – saline accented citrus and a really super texture to this concentrated but mobile and mouth-watering wine. That’s really an excellent thing. The oak is shaping this wine but, save the end of the finish today, is largely invisible. That’s a slightly contemplative but absolutely delicious wine.
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Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru 2020
Landed Price $225.00
Pre Arrival Price $191.50
23 bottles left
Tim Atkin MW
Though Bichot owns 65 hectares of vines in Chablis, this is the smallest holding at only 0.25 hectare. These recently replanted vines stand next to La Moutonne. This spends 10 months in oak, from new to five uses, and there are clear vanilla and caramel notes that cling to the poached apples and pears. Supple and smooth, this is a broad-shouldered Chablis. 2024-30. 94 Points
Burghound
Discreet though certainly perceptible wood sets off the ripe aromas of citrus confit, spring flowers, iodine and shellfish. The mouthfeel of the medium weight plus flavors is nothing short of gorgeous as it's at once caressing but punchy on the sappy and strikingly long finish. This too would benefit from having better depth, but the density of material is such that more will almost certainly develop if allowed a few years first.
92-94 Points
Bill Nanson "The Burgundy Report"
The most open of these noses, extra ripeness of fruit and just a little oak – I don’t, at this stage, recognize Preuses but it still has my attention! Slowly becoming more floral perfumed – it’s changing all the time. Supple, mobile, concentrated – the flesh of agrumes accented with white peach too – rich but mouth-watering and moreish. That’s very impressive wine – I think great in 10 years – it should be more than excellent before that too!
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Chablis Les Vaudesirs Grand Cru 2020
Landed Price $225.00
Pre Arrival Price $191.50
Tim Atkin MW
An exuberant Les Vaudésirs, this oozes tropical fruit, vanilla bean and toasted oats. Sensuously rounded on the palate - for a Chablis, even a Grand Cru, this is silky, long and tastes of sunshine. This is the domaine's largest Chablis Grand Cru holding at 2.6 hectares. 2024-30. 95 Points
Jasper Morris MW
Good clear lemon yellow. The bouquet combined sunshine and a more classical nerviness. Some sensuality comes up behind, more fruit than flowers after Blanchots. There is a fine core of pure white fruit, sitting on its limestone bench and just at the very finish a peachy note showing the ripeness of the vintage. But the acidity and structure are impeccable. 93-95 Points
Bill Nanson "The Burgundy Report"
2.6 hectares of 47-year-old vines. Always harvested at the same time as the Moutonne.
More open, showing a wider vibration of minerality. More direct and incisive – then comes the concentration – this is really a very fine Vaudésir – a wine of personality – which I find rare for the cru – a touch oak but it’s really only a small part of the complexity here. I think this excellent – give it 3 years before starting your relationship…
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Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru 2020
Landed Price $233.00
Pre Arrival Price $198.00
Tim Atkin MW
Two parcels combine to form this wine: one mid-slope and another at the top of the slope. This is as impressively big as one would expect a Clos to be, yet in contrast, it shows delicate fresh herb and yeasty notes. On the finish, the wine is an echo chamber of its concentration and needs time to settle down. 2025-34. 96 Points
Jasper Morris MW
Full yellow, just when you think the bouquet is going to be rich and ripe there is a certain balancing grassiness, and they use a little more wood here. Grassy and grapey, with a little heat at the back and now the wood kicks in. This needs longer elevage and may well come out at a higher level. 92-95 Points
Bill Nanson "The Burgundy Report"
1.5 hectares worth from 2 plots.
Similarly open to the Vaudésir but this nose is characterized by an airy volume. Nicely incisive, showing a fine and pure minerality – growing in intensity too. Framed with a faint tannin this wine has a bit of everything. Poised, almost a little tension. I think a great grand cru – the finish narrower but far from a modest length.
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