2015 Caves Duplessis Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre- France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (1/17/2018)
Glad I opened this bottle now as the cork seemed very light and cracks all over? Would not hold up to the lay down that these wines are intended for. Another classic Chablis from the Caves Duplessis! Coiled and intenese with dense minerality…bright citrus acidity…power held back like a dam, waiting for the energy to be released! I can only drink the young ones that I have…but am dreaming of trying one with serious age! This MdT is another beauty…pure lemon/lime citrus, pitted orchard fruits…rain water clarity, raw peanut, white flower florals…chalky limestone minerality with the sea air salinity and funk. Shows a nuanced complex layer of spearmint and white pepper spice. Tasty and correct Chablis…but…as ALL Duplessis… one for the cellar! +pts (93 pts.)
The only 14 I’ve had was the Clos, and it was even more so energized with citrus. In fact this is the first 15 Chablis I think I’ve had? Also had the 10 Fourchaume which seemed to have more oak as it was quite rich and dense…darker than I would have thought, but still racy with acidity and that deep minerality. Serious wines, built for the long haul it seems.
2015 Caves Duplessis Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre- France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (6/25/2019)
MAN this is a bad bottle! Opened last night, and it was SO disjointed, angry with sharp acid, rubbing alc fumes, and chemically? Thought maybe it was my palate? So I corked it up, and opened another bottle…a 18 Tercero Rose, which drank well, so it wasn’t my palate. Revisited this tonight…still the same! I’ve never experienced a Chablis like this? Two bottles have been wonderful, this one, a disaster!!! Wonder what happened here? NR (flawed)
I was one of Selection Massale’s first retail customers. I’ve been buying Duplessis since then through the '14 vintage. I think Lilian makes terrific wine. I own 6 cases. Regarding your comment on oak in the '10 Fourchaume, there isn’t a stitch of new oak used on any of their wines. I still have 4 bottles of '09s (Vaillons, Fourchaume, 2 Montmains). Unlike most '09s, these are still vibrant with balanced acidity. I’ll leave the Montmains until last as those are the oldest vine holdings Duplessis has, and is the most structured. I opened a bottle of '07 Montmains a couple of months ago and that was a mistake. Painfully young. I still have one bottle left. The only other pre-09 bottle I have is '08 Clos which I don’t plan on opening any time soon. I have a bottle of '11 Vaugiraut in the drinking queue. I plan on getting around to that in the next couple of weeks. Other than Chablis Villages (and the soon-to-be-opened '11), I haven’t touched my 2010s-14s. I haven’t encountered any premox. When I was in Chablis in 2014, an appointment was arranged at Duplessis for me and my friend.
I have been importing the wines of Gerard (and now Lilian) Duplessis for about 30 years, not exclusively. Happy to see them get some love. About 20 years ago Revue du Vin de France did a tasting and article titled (in English) ‘The Immortal wines of Gerard Duplessis’. Their tasting went back to 1947. Robert Parker asked me to reproduce it for him. Gerard kindly sent almost all of the vintages, going back (only) to 1952. A bottle of 1970 stood out because it had the same flaws described by Brian. Everything else was impeccable.
Back then, they described themselves as the ‘antiquarians of Chablis’ and I could buy 10 case lots of 10 year old Premier Crus. Lilian is doing terrific work and I can’t blame him for having sold off the old stuff when he took over… sad, but economically sound.
IIRC, they produce 3 - 4 barrels a year of Grand Cru ‘Les Clos’ and buy a new barrel every year for that wine. However saying they use no new oak is close enough… you can’t taste any, and from my visits to the cellar over the years I would guess the average barrel age at 10 years or more.
I’ve got one precious bottle left of 1996 Les Clos, I think a few '99 Premier Crus, a good smattering of '02s and '05s, a good collection of '09 and forward. Without counting, I would say that Duplessis is neck and neck and neck and neck with Pegau, Rhys, Mount Eden and my own vineyard as the producer I have most of.
I wish I could obtain older vintages. When Selection Massale first offered the wines, 2004 Clos was available, but only in magnums so I passed. Lilian had nothing for sale when I visited in 2014.
I am all out. I used to have a big stash of basic Chablis from Selection Massale. Drank through all of it. I had my only mag of 2012 Les Clos last month, and it was epic.
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