2007 Chablis Vaillons Vieilles Vignes

Laroche's 2007 Chablis Vaillons Vieilles Vignes is brightly citric on entry; displays a chewy impression of pit fruit skins; and finishes with a decidedly bitter-sweet and impressively concentrated combination of citrus oil and fruit pits. It may well gain in focus with some time in the bottle, and I would have no compunction about holding it for 3-4 years. 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