Domaine Gérard Duplessis is a certified organic estate in the Chablis-Auxerrois region of Burgundy, France. Wines are made under the Chablis AOC and Chablis 1er Cru AOC.

Owner/wine maker: Gérard Duplessis (smoker, bearded in 1998) and his son Lilian Duplessis. Roy Richards is a big fan of Gérard Duplessis, maintains Charlotte Allen.

Background: “If you try quizzing Gérard Duplessis about the history of the domaine, he will assure you very modestly that there is really nothing of interest to tell. “We are viticulteurs, nothing remarkable to add, no stars, no unusual techniques, we just make wine.” The Duplessis have been making wine in their old cellars in the centre of Chablis for five generations. Gérard’s son Lilian has been working with him since 2000 and will take over the reins when Gérard retires.

Vineyards: “Of the 8ha they farm, only 3.4ha are kept back for their own label. Young vines and inferior cuvées are sold off to different négociants and the Duplessis keep the best for themselves – a sort of vinous cherry-picking. The half-a-hectare of Chablis is south-west of the village, opposite les Vaillons,” (Richards Walford).

Premiers crus: “The four Premier Crus are divided equally between the Right Bank (0.6ha of Montée de Tonnerre and 0.44ha of Fourchaume) and the Left Bank (0.5ha of Vaillons and 1ha of Montmains),” (Richards Walford). Also Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu from 2015. Chablis 1er Cru ‘Vaugiraut’ too.

Organic certification: 2010 First year of organic conversion. | 2013 First fully organic vintage.

Winemaking & style: Roy Richards (By email Oct 2017) wrote this: “I think the style/functionality of each cru is less important than the house style. Since the wines have a longer elevage than most Chablis they need longer after bottling to come around. Then there is the question of the oak regime . Dad used old oak barrels on some, but not all cuvees: clos, Montee de Tonnerre, Fourchaume from memory. This could lead to some not wholly welcome caramel notes after bottling, which in turn muted the mineral side. I suspect the son has, as you surmise, brought more precision and renewed the barrel park. As regards the individual crus, my feeling has always been that their best wines were the Villages Chablis (exceptional), Montée de Tonnerre and Clos (which I have tasted back to 1947). The new boy, Mont de Milieu, is an unusual cru which tends elsewhere to be more exotic and less mineral.’

“The consistency of their wines has improved considerably in the past twenty years. They have always been renowned for producing wines with great ageing potential, but they also had a reputation in the seventies and eighties for being inconsistent. This was attributed to old wood and errors at bottling. Winemaking techniques have undoubtedly improved and this is a criticism which can no longer be levelled at the domaine. The other major change came in 1988 when Gérard starting harvesting by machine. He is a fervent supporter – not least because skilled manual labour is increasingly difficult to come by – and his arguments are pretty convincing: with the machine he can harvest when the grapes are at optimum ripeness; the unripe, hard, green berries and those dried out from rot stay on the vines and the grapes can be pressed quickly, thus avoiding oxidation. He insists, however, that the positive aspects of machine harvesting are lost if one does not use a pneumatic press – a mechanical press would extract unwanted greenness from any leaves caught up with the grapes,” (Richards Walford).

Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. Maturation in mostly first and second year oak casks for upto six months.

Production: Average production 25,000 bottles.

Wines

Petit Chablis AOC: From three plots sited opposite Premier Cru Vaillons.

Chablis AOC: 2010 “Lovely crisp nose; citrus and anise with subtle leesy notes. Restrained, elegant pear fruit and lively acidity; very typical Chablis,” (Madeline Mehalko in Richards Walford Chablis 2010 offer).

Chablis AOC 1er Cru Fourchaume: “Fourchaume, [which lies on the right bank] is the natural northerly extension of the Grand Cru hill, produces full and harmonious wines,” (Richards Walford). From ‘deux parcelles plantées en haut de coteau exposées plein sud sur sol très caillouteux.’ Wine style ‘long, droit, réservé.’

Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu: 2015 Debut.

Chablis AOC 1er Cru Montmains: “The more southerly Montmains [which lies on the left bank] often surprises, being soft and round in its youth, but increasingly mineral with age,” (Richards Walford).  From two plots of 1ha each . On clay-limestone.

Chablis AOC 1er Cru Vaillons: “Vaillons which [lies on the left bank] gives wines which are fine, elegant and subtle,” (Richards Walford). From four plots called Minot, Epinottes, Séchet and Chatain exposed south-east on sandy clay.

Chablis AOC 1er Cru Vaugiraut: 40 ares. SW-facing. Clay soil. Terroir proche d’un Montée de Tonnerre, ce Premier Cru ne bénéficie cependant pas de l’élevage en fût. Bottled unoaked.

Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos: “They have 0.36ha in the middle of the Grand Crus les Clos, which is arguably the best part of this vineyard (at 26ha, les Clos is the largest of the seven Grand Crus and varies in height from 150m to 215m asl, situation is therefore all-important),” (Richards Walford).

Contact

Domaine Gérard Duplessis

5 Quai de Reugny

89800 Chablis (Yonne), France

Website: www.chablis-duplessis.com.

Tel+33 (0)3.86.42.10.35 | Website: www.chablis-duplessis.com

Agence Bio: 2015 EARL Cave Duplessis

Bibliography

Visit by Monty Waldin, Graham Wynde and Alex Benson in 1998.