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Domaine Guy Robin, Chablis Vieilles Vignes, “Marie Ange Robin”

Burgundy, France 2014 (750mL)
$27.00
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Domaine Guy Robin, Chablis Vieilles Vignes, “Marie Ange Robin”

One of the most resonant terms we can use in a wine description is “old vine,” and it’s easy enough to understand why: Older vines produce less fruit, but what is produced is more deeply concentrated with flavor. Grapes from older vines are usually smaller, and older vines store reserves of moisture in their root systems, fortifying them against drought. This intensely concentrated Chablis from Domaine Guy Robin is what you get when you combine ‘vieilles vignes’ (‘old vines’), a talented winemaker, and a ripe vintage—namely, a ‘village-level’ wine that’s actually a ‘next-level’ wine.
These, as our subscribers know well by now, are our favorites. If I were smelling it in a blind tasting, I’d surely peg the 2014 “Cuvée Marie-Ange Robin” as either Premier or Grand Cru. Instead, it’s a $27 village wine that will astonish you with its profound aromatic complexity, depth, and class. And as I’ve learned more about its history, I’m even more fascinated by what’s in the bottle.
The Robin family has serious roots in Chablis, literally and figuratively. Namesake Guy Robin assembled most of the family’s holdings back in the 1960s, and these included significant stands of ‘pre-phylloxera’ vines—i.e., vineyards that were not destroyed during the phylloxera epidemic of the late-1800s. Although the phylloxera ‘louse’—an aphid that destroys the roots of vines—was pretty efficient in devastating the European wine industry (forcing vignerons to graft vines onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks), it didn’t get everybody. Many little pockets of Europe were spared, especially spots with sandy and/or volcanic soil, but not exclusively: a good 80% of Robin’s modern-day vines are on their “own,” pre-phylloxera rootstock. Guy Robin had never re-planted them (as so many Chablisienne did) to higher-yielding clones.

Despite this incredible patrimony, however, the Guy Robin wines had fallen into mediocrity; one of their US importers actually dropped them for a time, but the arrival of fourth-generation Marie-Ange Robin in the early 2000s was a huge shot in the arm. A successful fine art dealer in Paris, she returned home to the family estate and began tending their historic vines more naturally, using the lutte raisonnée method (essentially organic, except in emergencies). Some of the Robin holdings, which span five Grand Crus and four Premier Crus, are 80+ years old.

This 2014 is from 40-year-old vines grown on a slope that faces the Premier Cru “Vaillons,” and the level of concentration in this wine is just unbelievable at this price. The hand-harvested fruit was fermented using only indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, then transferred to mostly neutral barrels for 10-12 months of aging sur lie. How telling that Marie-Ange chose to put her name on her village wine; to me, that’s a confident statement that is forcefully backed up by what’s in the glass.
 
The wine displays a light golden core green reflections on the rim. Rich, creamy aromatics of puréed yellow apple, lemon blossom, meyer lemon peel, and white peach evolve into notes of hazelnut, lees, crushed rocks. and oyster shells. Just over medium in body, the palate fills out with air into a layered explosion one would expect of a fine Premier Cru, framed with bright acidity and mineral verve. It is simply delicious now, but should evolve beautifully over the next 7-10 years in your cellar. To enjoy now, decant for one hour and serve no cooler than 50-55 degrees in Burgundy stems to draw out the tantalizing aromatics. Serve alongside this recipe for scallops in a brown butter sauce, and seriously consider grabbing more than one—even a case. It’s a wine you’ll want to return to soon, and in the future as well.
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Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Sub-Region
FranceChablis
Soil
Chalky Limestone, Clay and Fossilized Seashells
Farming
Lutte Raisonnée
Blend
Chardonnay
Alcohol
12.5
OAK
None
TEMP.
55
Glassware
Burgundy
Drinking
Now-2025
Decanting
30-60 Minutes
Pairing
Scallops in Brown Butter

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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