2014 Domaine Gilbert Picq & ses Fils, Chablis “Vosgros” Premier Cru, White Burgundy, France.
This beautifully pure and crystalline Chablis is really hitting its stride as it gets past its vigorous youthfulness and starts to get into full maturity with lovely white peach, lemon and apple fruits leading the way is this classical mineral and chalky/flinty Chardonnay. Coming from a lesser known, in fact I doubt I have ever had it before, Premier Cru, Vosgros this Picq is surprisingly rich and concentrated, but still vivacious and limestone driven in character. This wine highlights its terroir, with Chablis having its unique Kimmeridgian soils, which isn’t found anywhere else in the world except here, Champagne and in southern England, it gives this wine its nature and adds to the racy acidity, steely element and its saline intensity. Kimmeridgian is a 180 million year-old geologic formation of decomposed clay and limestone, containing tiny fossilized oyster shells that spans from the Dorset village of Kimmeridge in southern England to Champagne, and to the soils of Chablis in Northern Burgundy. Domaine Gilbert Picq et Ses Fils does a few different village level Chablis as well as two exceptional Premier Crus, both located in the winery’s home village of Chichée. These include Vaucoupin, a site that seems to gain in popularity with each vintage, though still not a common Premier Cru in Chablis, and the rare Vosgros, which is produced from the Picq’s oldest premier cru vines that were planted in the 1980s. This 2014 is just delicious stuff, it gains dimension with every sip and opens up with white flowers, clarified cream, clove spices and faint nuttiness.
The Picq domaine is led in the cellar by Didier and his gifted and natural talents are well known through the region, though these wines are not a house hold name here like Fevre, Dauvissat, Defaix, Droin, Louis Michel, Moreau-Naudet, Raveneau and or Brocard. These Picq Chablis wines are naturally fermented exclusively with indigenous yeasts and raised in 100% stainless steel tanks to preserve every detail, nuance and freshness, as well as the underlying expression of place. According to the winery, you won’t find any wood in the entire winery, they don’t use any barrel aging at all here. Usually I like a touch of neutral oak with Premier Cru and Grand Cru Chablis, but this Picq Vosgros is wonderfully soulful, complex and expressive with any and I am highly impressed by this delightful Chardonnay. Set in a cool valley that allows for a longer growing season Vosgros is located in the South West area of the Chablis appellation control in a mostly east facing natural amphitheater that gets great exposure to the sun that delivers density and ripe flavors to the wines, which Picq took full advantage of in this vintage. This secret Cru is an enthusiast’s site and these Vosgros wines are coveted by those with the know, and I am intrigued and will be searching out Chablis from this vineyard. This Picq is exciting with its dept and texture as well as what you’d call an inner brightness and natural acidity that gifts this wine its clarity, distinction and life, this is a winery to look for!
($40 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive