Description
Domaine Guy Robin, Chablis “Vieilles Vignes”
Chablis in general remains one of the greatest white wine values around, and then there’s old-vine Chablis from Domaine Guy Robin: Arguably the greatest of the great. We have been huge promoters of this resurgent estate, so much so that some might suspect we’re taking kickbacks or something—but no, we just love elite Burgundy Chardonnay at affordable prices, and they make a lot of it. Regardless of the bottling, you can count on Guy Robin to over-perform, thanks in large part to the unparalleled collection of heirloom vines this estate possesses.
The vieilles vignes (“old vines”) designation on a Robin label carry real meaning (the plots used for this bottling average 40 years of age), and when you look at the specs behind today’s bottling—the source plots are across from Premier Cru “Vaillons” and downslope from Premier Cru “Montmains”—it’s clear that this is no ordinary village-level Chablis. It’s just priced like one. There may be no more scandalous “steal” in white Burgundy—take as much as you can fit and run!
Namesake Guy Robin, Marie-Ange’s father, assembled most of the domaine’s vineyard holdings back in the 1960s. These included significant stands of “pre-phylloxera” plantings—i.e., vineyards that escaped the phylloxera epidemic of the late-1800s. Although the phylloxera louse—an aphid that destroys the roots of vines—was ruthlessly efficient in devastating the European wine industry (forcing vignerons to graft vines onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks), it didn’t get everybody. Many small pockets of Europe were spared, especially spots with sandy and/or volcanic soil, but not exclusively: A good 80% of Domaine Robin’s modern-day vines are on their “own,” pre-phylloxera rootstock. Guy Robin had never re-planted them (as so many Chablis producers did) to higher-yielding clones.
In most of the world, there isn’t any minimum standard for what constitutes an “old vine,” so in many cases, the vielles vignes designation ends up feeling like empty words—devalued from overuse, like “all-natural” or “premium.” But the Guy Robin vineyards are true heirlooms, some of them exceeding 80 years of age, and, since leaving a career as an art dealer in Paris and returning to the family property in the early 2000s, Marie-Ange Robin has focused intently on farming those vineyards as naturally as possible, to realize their full potential.
Although some wines at the upper end of the Robin range are fermented and/or aged in oak, this ’19 was raised in steel tank only—and yet, as is typical of the Robin wines, it displays a lot more fruit and texture than the lean/green/steely Chablis archetype. It has plenty of freshness and minerality, but, even at the village level, a layered texture that old-school tasters might associate more readily with the Côte de Beaune. It’s a bright straw-gold in the glass, with aromas of green and yellow apple, salted lemon, nectarine, citrus blossom, crushed oyster shells, wet stones, and a hint of crème fraîche. It has substance on the palate but also the chiseled-from-rock minerality and mouthwatering raciness that makes Chablis Chablis. In short, it’s a textbook bottle, immensely enjoyable now and poised to improve over the next few years. Splash-decant it 15-30 minutes before serving in all-purpose white wine stems at 50 degrees. Pair it with some lemony chicken paillard over some winter greens for a seriously good mid-week meal. Caution: Will be habit-forming. Enjoy!
