WTN: 3 Domaine Séguinot Bordet Chablis

[geo t.]

We loved the 2000 Séguinot Bordet Chablis when we had it last year; in fact we still have a few in the cellar from heck for future reference, so when a stash of '99s turned up, we didn't hesitate to check them out, and we really liked what we found. The same goes for the 2002 model, the current vintage available here in Day-twah. Séguinot Bordet is one of the oldest vignobles of Chablis, with vineyards that have been in the family since the 1830s. J et R Selections is the exclusive importer of this estate for the US.

1999 Domaine Séguinot Bordet Chablis, $17, 12.5% alc.: Medium straw, with soft wet stones, chalk and green apples dosed with more than a splash of lemon in both flavor and aroma; crisp and clean, with just the right amount of acidity and a long finish. Very nice with Kim's delicious chicken pot pie, and a wine that I could drink on a regular basis, winter, spring, summer or fall. A second bottle tasted showed an herbaceous quality and a little bees wax at the expense of some lemon, while the mineral took on a decidedly limestone character, but still, the wine was delicious, receiving positive comments all around among a group of friends. Great QPR; made with fruit from 25 year old vines.

1999 Domaine Séguinot Bordet Chablis Vieilles Vignes, $19, 12.5% alc.: Medium gold, with slate and flint on the nose, and little fruit to speak of, but that's all right, because there's nice green apple and a splash of lemon on the palate, with the flint and slate in support. Crisp, clean, and still a bit tight at this point; certainly drinkable, and even enjoyable, but it needs more time to show its best. Lots of promise, so be patient; again, great QPR. Vinification is longer with the Vieilles Vignes than with the regular Chablis, and the juice has longer contact with the lees. It sees 7 - 10 days in steel, with malolactic fermentation after 30 days.

2002 Domaine Séguinot Bordet Chablis, $17.99, 12.5% alc: A medium straw, with flavors and aromas of wet stone, chalk, apple, pear, a little bees wax and some detergent on the finish. With good presence, density and zippy acidity, this is certainly drinkable now, and then some, but I'd like to come back to it in three to five years.

-From Warm Weather Whites

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.