Life is incomplete without a top-shelf Chablis in your glass, but in a region that boasts 40 different Premier Cru vineyards, I’ll be the first to admit that finding the right one can be a daunting task. We’re here to help: Producers and critics have long touted “Fourchaume'' as one of the top 1er Crus, if not the best, and some have even been vocal about elevating it to Grand Cru status.
Personally, I’m all for it because (1) the talent of vignerons here is off the charts, (2) the best wines have spent decades proving their immense cellar potential and prismatic depth, and (3) the terroir is similar to Chablis’ prized cluster of Grand Crus in both sun exposure and contour. That said, Fourchaume is still a sprawling vineyard with lots of variation—it’s divided into a number of lieu-dits, a few of which have separated themselves (rightly so) from the pack. Again, that’s where we come in: the climat of “L’Homme Mort” is among the best—perfectly positioned with ample sun and slope, enriched with sandy Kimmeridgian limestone, and located in the northern reaches of Chablis. All this lends powerful minerality and texture to the final wine. As for the producer and vintage? Pierrick Laroche of Domaine des Hâtes may be the most impressive newcomer we’ve seen in years: His debut vintage in 2010 earned him three coveted stars from France’s Guide Hachette des Vins and today’s 2018 should be placed right there alongside it. These wines are made in severely minute quantities, so I urge all white Burgundy connoisseurs to take a strong position!
Pierrick Laroche grew up in Maligny, one of the northernmost villages in Chablis, where his father maintained some vineyards whose grapes he sold to the local cooperative. Starting in the 1980s, he started expanding his vineyard plantings bit by bit, which ended up working out nicely for Pierrick when he decided wine was going to be his career. Upon taking over those vineyards and establishing Domaine des Hâtes, Pierrick immediately eliminated all chemical treatments and made his first commercial releases in 2010, which critics embraced with open arms. He has since built a gravity-flow winery carved into a hillside and garnered major industry buzz for his polished, precise wines. Today’s 2018 Premier Cru Fourchaume is a perfect example of what happens when you catch an upstart producer at exactly the right moment—the value-for-dollar here is simply incredible!
One interesting fact about the domaine name: hâtes is said to be an old French word for an agricultural unit of measure (a small one), and here likely refers to Pierrick’s father’s slow, steady acquisition of vineyard land over the years. Their holdings in the stretching 1er Cru vineyard of Fourchaume span just over one hectare, and Pierrick labels it under “L’Homme Mort,” which is a prized lieu-dit located in the northernmost reaches of the vineyard, right by their home village of Maligny. There is a touch more sandy clay in the limestone soil up here, which, combined with the southern-leaning aspect of many of the sites, helps encourage greater ripeness. Pierrick also subjects his wines to full malolactic fermentation and allows this cuvée to age on lees in both stainless steel and neutral French oak (600-liter demi-muids & 228-liter barriques) for 15 months before bottling.
Laroche’s 2018 “L’Homme Mort” is the type of wine that’ll set off a lightbulb: An “aha” moment that puts Premier Cru Chablis into laser-sharp focus and allows you to fully comprehend its extraordinary levels of minerality and tension. This is not an angular, reductive, and unforgiving wine but a supple, generously textured, and fine-tuned Chardonnay with powerful chalk and oyster shell minerality. Given 30 minutes to open up, it rolls out elegant notes of white peach, nectarine, lime blossom, salt-preserved lemon, green apple, white pear, crushed white rock, acacia, lees, churned butter, and faint hints of spice. The palate is comfortably medium-bodied and perfectly structured with mouthwatering bursts of acidity and a compact core of citrus peel, stone fruit, and minerals. It’s an absolute joy to drink, and a brilliant lesson on the dynamic evolution of 1er Cru Chablis over multiple hours and days. This can be enjoyed in Burgundy stems now or cellared further for consumption throughout 2025 and beyond. Cheers!
