This year, the control visit of the vineyards took place on Friday 18th July. A exceptionally large crowd attended this 2008 edition, 22 people started at 8h00 under a hesitant sun.
Here are the conclusions:
We saw some millerandage, differences in the sizes of the grapes due to irregular flowering. The vineyards are in good condition, apart from a few attacks of mildiou in the lower parts.

We expect a moderate yield for 2008. Harvesting should start around the 25th September

This tasting is fast becoming a key date in most Chablis-lover's diary and this year there was even more to taste, as again the Union welcomed a new member : Domaine Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre. The members travelled to London on January 8 th to present their 2006 Grands Crus at the Opera Gallery in the Royal Opera Arcade.

Grands Jours de Bourgogne-Chablis 10th March 2008
Moscow- March 2008 ( exact date to be confirmed )

Budbreak occurred in mid-april, under excellent conditions due to the lack of spring frost this year. The flowering was quite irregular, starting on June 9th and finishing on June 17th. June and July were warm and dry, followed by an uncharacteristically cool and wet August. Thanks to these cool temperatures, the vineyards were extremely healthy. The good weather returned in early September and harvesting officially started on September 16th. The 2006 yields are moderate to low, with a good balance of acidity and natural sugar levels. The first tastings lead us to believe that this will be a very “pure” Chablis vintage with fine, aromatic subtlety.

"After an atypical and unpredictable 2003 which produced exceptionally low yields, the 2004 vintage is more classical.
Spring frosts did not affect the vines this year, which allowed flowering to take place in good conditions mid-June, leading us to predict an abundant harvest at the end of September.July and August were particularly wet. Rainfall was virtually double the seasonal average and lead to a serious attack of oïdium. Levels of mildew, however, were no higher than those normally experienced at this time of the year. At Domaine Laroche, particular attention is paid to the state of the vineyards throughout the growing season. This year, the major task of debbuding, which allows us to remove supplementary shoots, started in early May. Almost one third was removed before floweing which means that the remaining grapes are evenly spread along the branches and therefore, well aired.
In addition to this, certain parcels of Premier and Grand Crus underwent green harvesting at the beginning of August and again in early September, in order to further improve the aeration of the vines. Successive phytosanitary treatments were, therefore, vitally important in the vineyard this year and these successive efforts, accompanied by a warm, dry September, allowed us to achieve full maturity before starting the harvest on October 4th- about a week later than usual. Harvesting finished on the 14th.
Temperatures rose to over 30°C during the first two weeks of September and the lack of significant rainfall for the rest of the month enabled grapes to achieve full maturity, whilst remaining healthy. Natural degrees varied from 11° to 12.2° with a good level of acidity. The juice is balanced and aromatic with no hint of vegetal character. The final result is remarkable and far exceeds anything I could have predicted at the end of August ! It looks as through 2004 will produce great quality wines, accompanied wigh an abundant quantity which will allow us to reconstitute precious stocks that were so badly affected by the 2003 devicit."
Michel Laroche chablis 19 th of October 2004

Exceptional sunshine hours and lack of rain characterised the period between february and late September.This was a year of amazing records !
Severe frosts (up to minus 8°C) struck early in April. As the buds were well advanced this year, the ensuing damage was greater than usuaL.
Flowering was very precocious, taking place early in June under extremely warm weather. This resulted in some excessive vigour which caused hens and chichkens and some coulure in the bunches.
Between June and September, drought and heat prevailed with average temperatures above 30°C.In early August, there were 9 successive days at over 40°C setting a historic record for Chablis of 41,7°C. No Chablisien had ever seen this since temperature records began in 1873. Most grape bunchs exposed to the sun were burnt and dried out by harvest time.
Frost, hnes and chickens, culure, drought and sun-burn have combined to produce a crop well below normal volume levels. Some plots have yielded only half the usual crop.
Harvest was declared open on August 25 th, a month earlier than the usual date. Picking in the grands crus finished on September 5 th...unbelievably early !
The oder vines, protected by their deep root system, did not suffer unduly from the drought and will produce exceptional wines. The younger vines had more problems getting sufficient nourishment to their fruit, and this could well produce uneven quality.
Early tastings show impressive richness, with unusually fragrant wines that are reminiscent of very ripe citrus fruit and mangos. The mouth feel is powerful, unctous and full-bodied.
2003 is an exceptional year in every sense of the term. It can be placed alongside mythicla vintages such as 1947, 1959 or 1976, where the wines that showed balance are truly marvelous.
Le Conseil de l'Union

One thing’s for sure, the Chablis Grand Crus 2002 harvest was one of the best ever.

A dry spring without any major frost permitted the vegetative cycle to begin normally.
A beautiful month of May and the beginning of June assisted an early flowering that was completed near the 10th June for the entire Grand Crus vineyards.

July was marked by cool and wet weather conditions. August showed both extremes, with a large variation of hot and cool temperatures but without any major rain. The vineyards were extremely healthy and they were not affected by any mildew or oidium.

The premier controls of ripeness were completed early September and they showed that the vegetative cycle was in advance of the average with the sugar content levels similar to the excellent vintages of 1990 and 2000.
September was absolutely marvellous, sunny and dry. The vine benefited from the optimal conditions with lots of sunshine and cold nights which generate the development of the aromas.

With these excellent climatic conditions, all of the wine growers had plenty of time to wait for full ripeness. The Grand Crus harvest started on the 20th September and finished around the 8 October. The harvest was perfect with the weather condition producing plenty of sunshine and no rain.

The small rainfall recorded during the entire growing season gave smaller yields but this was compensated with high natural sugar levels. All of the Grands Crus were harvested fully ripe with the potential alcohols between 12, 5 and 13, 5.

The first tastings were a real pleasure with a mixture a ripe sweetness, elegance and concentration . The acidity levels are good and on average compared to previous years.

All these facts lead as to believe that the 2002 will be classic Chablis style and an exceptional vintage. The 2002 harvest can be compared to 1986 or 1990 which had similar small yields and excellent concentration and ripeness.

In order to be authorised to place the seal of approval of “Union des Grands Crus de Chablis” on its bottles of Chablis Grand Cru , members must submit their lots, after final bottling, to a tasting committee comprised of other Union members.

The first tasting session for the Chablis Grands Crus 2001 will take place Thursday, 19th December at the “Petit Pontigny” building in Chablis.

For this first tasting of the Chablis Grand Crus 2001, we will have the pleasure to have with us, one or two specialized wine journalists and wine waiters.

This year, the control visit of the vineyards took place on Friday 18th July. A exceptionally large crowd attended this 2008 edition, 22 people started at 8h00 under a hesitant sun.
Here are the conclusions:
We saw some millerandage, differences in the sizes of the grapes due to irregular flowering. The vineyards are in good condition, apart from a few attacks of mildiou in the lower parts.

We expect a moderate yield for 2008. Harvesting should start around the 25th September

This tasting is fast becoming a key date in most Chablis-lover's diary and this year there was even more to taste, as again the Union welcomed a new member : Domaine Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre. The members travelled to London on January 8 th to present their 2006 Grands Crus at the Opera Gallery in the Royal Opera Arcade.

Grands Jours de Bourgogne-Chablis 10th March 2008
Moscow- March 2008 ( exact date to be confirmed )

Budbreak occurred in mid-april, under excellent conditions due to the lack of spring frost this year. The flowering was quite irregular, starting on June 9th and finishing on June 17th. June and July were warm and dry, followed by an uncharacteristically cool and wet August. Thanks to these cool temperatures, the vineyards were extremely healthy. The good weather returned in early September and harvesting officially started on September 16th. The 2006 yields are moderate to low, with a good balance of acidity and natural sugar levels. The first tastings lead us to believe that this will be a very “pure” Chablis vintage with fine, aromatic subtlety.

"After an atypical and unpredictable 2003 which produced exceptionally low yields, the 2004 vintage is more classical.
Spring frosts did not affect the vines this year, which allowed flowering to take place in good conditions mid-June, leading us to predict an abundant harvest at the end of September.July and August were particularly wet. Rainfall was virtually double the seasonal average and lead to a serious attack of oïdium. Levels of mildew, however, were no higher than those normally experienced at this time of the year. At Domaine Laroche, particular attention is paid to the state of the vineyards throughout the growing season. This year, the major task of debbuding, which allows us to remove supplementary shoots, started in early May. Almost one third was removed before floweing which means that the remaining grapes are evenly spread along the branches and therefore, well aired.
In addition to this, certain parcels of Premier and Grand Crus underwent green harvesting at the beginning of August and again in early September, in order to further improve the aeration of the vines. Successive phytosanitary treatments were, therefore, vitally important in the vineyard this year and these successive efforts, accompanied by a warm, dry September, allowed us to achieve full maturity before starting the harvest on October 4th- about a week later than usual. Harvesting finished on the 14th.
Temperatures rose to over 30°C during the first two weeks of September and the lack of significant rainfall for the rest of the month enabled grapes to achieve full maturity, whilst remaining healthy. Natural degrees varied from 11° to 12.2° with a good level of acidity. The juice is balanced and aromatic with no hint of vegetal character. The final result is remarkable and far exceeds anything I could have predicted at the end of August ! It looks as through 2004 will produce great quality wines, accompanied wigh an abundant quantity which will allow us to reconstitute precious stocks that were so badly affected by the 2003 devicit."
Michel Laroche chablis 19 th of October 2004

Exceptional sunshine hours and lack of rain characterised the period between february and late September.This was a year of amazing records !
Severe frosts (up to minus 8°C) struck early in April. As the buds were well advanced this year, the ensuing damage was greater than usuaL.
Flowering was very precocious, taking place early in June under extremely warm weather. This resulted in some excessive vigour which caused hens and chichkens and some coulure in the bunches.
Between June and September, drought and heat prevailed with average temperatures above 30°C.In early August, there were 9 successive days at over 40°C setting a historic record for Chablis of 41,7°C. No Chablisien had ever seen this since temperature records began in 1873. Most grape bunchs exposed to the sun were burnt and dried out by harvest time.
Frost, hnes and chickens, culure, drought and sun-burn have combined to produce a crop well below normal volume levels. Some plots have yielded only half the usual crop.
Harvest was declared open on August 25 th, a month earlier than the usual date. Picking in the grands crus finished on September 5 th...unbelievably early !
The oder vines, protected by their deep root system, did not suffer unduly from the drought and will produce exceptional wines. The younger vines had more problems getting sufficient nourishment to their fruit, and this could well produce uneven quality.
Early tastings show impressive richness, with unusually fragrant wines that are reminiscent of very ripe citrus fruit and mangos. The mouth feel is powerful, unctous and full-bodied.
2003 is an exceptional year in every sense of the term. It can be placed alongside mythicla vintages such as 1947, 1959 or 1976, where the wines that showed balance are truly marvelous.
Le Conseil de l'Union

One thing’s for sure, the Chablis Grand Crus 2002 harvest was one of the best ever.

A dry spring without any major frost permitted the vegetative cycle to begin normally.
A beautiful month of May and the beginning of June assisted an early flowering that was completed near the 10th June for the entire Grand Crus vineyards.

July was marked by cool and wet weather conditions. August showed both extremes, with a large variation of hot and cool temperatures but without any major rain. The vineyards were extremely healthy and they were not affected by any mildew or oidium.

The premier controls of ripeness were completed early September and they showed that the vegetative cycle was in advance of the average with the sugar content levels similar to the excellent vintages of 1990 and 2000.
September was absolutely marvellous, sunny and dry. The vine benefited from the optimal conditions with lots of sunshine and cold nights which generate the development of the aromas.

With these excellent climatic conditions, all of the wine growers had plenty of time to wait for full ripeness. The Grand Crus harvest started on the 20th September and finished around the 8 October. The harvest was perfect with the weather condition producing plenty of sunshine and no rain.

The small rainfall recorded during the entire growing season gave smaller yields but this was compensated with high natural sugar levels. All of the Grands Crus were harvested fully ripe with the potential alcohols between 12, 5 and 13, 5.

The first tastings were a real pleasure with a mixture a ripe sweetness, elegance and concentration . The acidity levels are good and on average compared to previous years.

All these facts lead as to believe that the 2002 will be classic Chablis style and an exceptional vintage. The 2002 harvest can be compared to 1986 or 1990 which had similar small yields and excellent concentration and ripeness.

In order to be authorised to place the seal of approval of “Union des Grands Crus de Chablis” on its bottles of Chablis Grand Cru , members must submit their lots, after final bottling, to a tasting committee comprised of other Union members.

The first tasting session for the Chablis Grands Crus 2001 will take place Thursday, 19th December at the “Petit Pontigny” building in Chablis.

For this first tasting of the Chablis Grand Crus 2001, we will have the pleasure to have with us, one or two specialized wine journalists and wine waiters.