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of La Revue des Vins de France 2009  Guide Bettane Dessauve 2009  Click on the Picture to read the article (french) Burghound.com, Allen Meadows's October 2008  Page 1 Page 2 Wine & Spirit website September 2008 www.wine-spirit.com    Steve Tanzer's international Wine Cellar Juillet/Aout 2008  The harvest of 2007 was a two-part affair at this family domain, with Christian and son Fabien Moreau bringing in their Vaillons on September 9 due to rot pressures, but then waiting until September 14 to attack the grand crus, which ultimately came in with potential sugar levels between 12.5% and 13% and were not chaptalized. The first blend was made in March, about two months later than usual, after which the wines were returned to a combination of tank and barrel. According to Christian Moreau, the new vintage possesses very good acidity (higher than the 2004s) and a lot of minerality. With the exception of the Vaudesir, which was replanted in 1998, all the vineyard holdings here have an average vine age of at least 40 years. Everything here is picked by hand. Interestingly, Fabien described his 2006s as fresher than the 2005s: "In 2005, the maturity came too quickly," he explained. (Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY) 2007 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis : 88 (bottled five days before my visit) Bright, pale yellow. Aromas of yellow fruits, vanilla, truffle and spearmint, plus a whiff of orange zest. Juicy, firm and dry, with strong acids framing the citrus, mineral and musky spice flavors. This pure, brisk village wine reminded me in style of a 2004. Classic finishing flavors of lemon and minerals. 2007 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Vaillons : 89-90 Bright yellow. Very primary aromas of citrus peel and white pepper; still a hint of fermentation aromas. Then richer and riper in the mouth than the village wine, combining a faint exotic note of green tropical fruits with an edge of lemony acidity. Quite firmly structured but with good buffering material for its 4.7 grams per liter of acidity. 2007 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Vaillons Guy Moreau : 90-92 Bright yellow. Musky aromas of vineyard peach, ginger and white pepper. Very rich, dry and primary, with the peppery quality accentuated by firm-edged acidity. A pronounced citrus zest flavor communicates a strong impression of energy. Tighter, juicier and longer than the regular Vaillons, finishing with a stony quality that leaves the salivary glands quivering. 2007 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Vaillons Guy Moreau : 90-92 Bright yellow. Musky aromas of vineyard peach, ginger and white pepper. Very rich, dry and primary, with the peppery quality accentuated by firm-edged acidity. A pronounced citrus zest flavor communicates a strong impression of energy. Tighter, juicier and longer than the regular Vaillons, finishing with a stony quality that leaves the salivary glands quivering. 2007 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Vaudesir : 87-90 (this was moved from barrels to tank in April) Medium yellow. Smoky, musky, peppery nose. Rounder and fatter than the Vaillons Guy Moreau but without quite that wine's intensity or structure. This is less complex and pungent, with its fatter texture conveying an impression of lower acidity. As was the case with the 2006 last spring, I find a slight dryness from the oak. (I predict that this cuvee will get less oak in the future, at least until the vines reach adolescence.) 2007 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Blanchots : 89-91 (in barrel) Bright medium yellow. Very tight nose hints at white pepper and spices, with fruit currently in the background. Much deeper and more opulent than the Vaudesir, with stony lemony cut intensifying the middle palate. A whiff of exotic fruits and a touch of spicy oak add complexity to this tactile, supple wine. Finishes spicy and long. 2007 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Valmur : 90-92 Pale yellow. Complex, slightly leesy aromas of underripe pineapple, ginger and white pepper, with a floral topnote; almost atypically high-pitched for this wine at this stage of its evolution, notes Christian Moreau. Then much richer and fatter in the mouth than the nose suggests, with a creamy sweetness nicely cut by very firm, almost painful acidity. Perhaps a bit youthfully disjointed today, as the wine's brisk acids have not yet totally harmonized with its opulent fruit, but very long on the aftertaste. This should make a classic Valmur. 2007 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Les Clos : 90-92 Reticent, cool nose offers lemon, crushed stone, spearmint, spices and menthol; slightly reductive today. Then broad and surprisingly open-knit in the mouth, with a wonderfully fine-grained texture and an enticing sweetness that carries through to the end. Very elegantly styled wine; more harmonious today than the Valmur but not more intense or long. 2007 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Clos des Hospices : 92-95 Bright green-tinged yellow. Highly complex nose melds peach, acacia flower, vanilla and white pepper. Creamy and ripe but firm, with vibrant yellow fruit flavors complicated by wet stone and sexy oak hints. A real mouthful of rocks! Offers superb volume, opulence and silky texture for the vintage. The rising finish stains the palate with wet stone minerality. A knockout in the making: this really transcends the vintage. Incidentally, the acidity here is 4.7 grams per liter, compared to 4.4 for the regular Clos cuvee. 2006 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Vaillons : 89 Pale yellow. Spicy, musky aromas of lemon peel and minerals. Considerably richer than the village wine (which I scored 88 in Issue 133 and the same at the end of May); also riper and finer, with a stronger impression of sucrosite In a distinctly rounder style, with good breadth to the flavors of lemon and stone. Long on personality. 2006 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Vaillons Guy Moreau : 91 Aromas of musky yellow fruits and gingery spices. Then pure and precise in the mouth, lighter on its feet than the basic Vaillons bottling. A higher-pitched style with lovely balance. This can be enjoyed now with decanting but should age well. From a blend of 55- and 74-year-old vines. 2006 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Vaudesir : 89 (+?) Pale yellow. Very ripe aromas of sweet yellow fruits, honey and coconut, with a suggestion of exotic oak. At once stony and sweet in the mouth, with flavors of mirabelle and spicy oak and a very firm spine. A rather backward style, without the early appeal of the Vaillons Guy Moreau. Today the oak component gives the finish a slight dry edge. Christian Moreau likes this for its finesse, but I recall finding the oak component a bit pronounced last year as well. All of these wines spent their first few months in barrels (only about 5% of which were new) and then were moved into stainless steel tanks. 2006 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Blanchots : 91 Pale yellow. Deep, nuanced nose combines yellow peach, flint and flowers, plus a suggestion of creamy oak. Then broad, dry and quite closed, even youthfully austere, but with a lush texture and considerable subtlety promising a strong future in bottle. Finishes with peach and grapefruit notes and excellent persistence. Very young, but easier to taste than a sample I rated last year just a week following the bottling. 2006 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Valmur : 93 Pale yellow. Sexy, expressive aromas and flavors of mirabelle, pineapple, ginger and flint, all lifted by a violet topnote. Dense, rich and quite suave, with a saline element accentuating the impression of soil. A big boy but quite fine; there's nothing heavy about this grand cru. The slowly mounting finish boasts terrific texture and life. 2006 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Les Clos : 94 Pale yellow. Underripe pineapple, wet stone and violet on the discreet, very pure nose. Wonderfully sweet yet penetrating, with a strong, almost metallic minerality and a repeating violet element leavening the impression of sucrosite Very pure, subtle, gripping wine, finishing long and aromatic. This should display its inherent complexity as it evolves over the next decade. Superb. 2006 Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils Chablis Clos des Hospices : 92 (+?) Pale color. Aromas of lemon ice and crushed rock. Bigger, richer and smokier than the "regular" Clos but perhaps a bit less pristine today, with vanilla and resiny notes to go with the powerful minerality. Broad and weighty but extremely backward. This parcel is situated lower on the hillside than the regular Clos, and there's more clay in the soil here-as well as more humidity. Anthony Gismondi Gismondi at www.gismondionwine.com (Vancouver, Canada) Aout 2008 Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 2006 : 94/100 Light garlic, lemon, baked green apple, leesy, floral, oyster shell, butter, quince aromas with a touch of vanilla. Rich, fresh, elegant, crisp palate but good texture and intensity. Sea shell, seaweed, lemon, green apple skin, butter, light honey flavours with a touch of butterscotch and lime rind on the finish. Great length and finesse with intensity. Better than the 2005. Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2006 : 93/100 Fresher floral, lime, green apple, light garlic lees, seashore, buttery nose with a touch of as acacia and artichoke. Crisp, round, fresh and elegant with good finesse and acidity balance. Lemon, green apple skin, grassy, oyster shell, butter, garlic, vanilla, grassy, floral flavours. A more feminine, crisper style than the Valmur, try them side by side. Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon Cuvée Guy Moreau 2006 : 91/100 Floral, citrus, oyster shell, green apple skin, light butter, light garlic aromas. Crisp, fresh, round, elegant palate with good intensity. Lemon, green apple skin, butter, floral, sea shell, mineral, grassy flavours. Finish is crisp and long with a light buttery, lime note. Drink now but will improve with the excellent acidity balance. Decanter Magazine August 2008    June 30, 2008  Wine Spectator May 2008 Wine Spectator February 29, 2008  Burgundy 2006 - 23 Janvier 2008  |
