MEET THE NEW WINEMAKER OF DOMAINE LAROCHE; BEHIND CHABLIS SAINT MARTIN

MEET THE NEW WINEMAKER OF DOMAINE LAROCHE & BEHIND CHABLIS SAINT MARTIN VILLAGE 2023

Red Apron Fine Wines And Spirits

Th 5 25/04/2024 2 minutes of reading

Article content

Romain Chevrolat comes from a family of Champagne winemakers, originally from Les Riceys, a town renowned for its famous wine, the Rosé des Riceys, located nearly 50kms from Chablis. Growing up in the southern Champagne region aroused his interest in the world of wine and led him to begin his university studies in Reims. Experiences in the southern hemisphere, in the heart of vineyards in Australia, completed his technical knowledge.

In 2015, he undertook his Diplôme National d'Œnologie in Dijon and trained at Maison Louis Latour and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Romain then moved down south to the Rhône Valley to work at Domaine E. Guigal as oenologist in 2018. After 5 very successful vintages, he wanted to return to the Kimmeridgian subsoil so typical of Chablis and similar to that of his roots.

In July 2023, he joined Domaine Laroche to carry on revealing the exceptional terroirs and finesse of the estate wines. "I joined an established and highly talented team, with experts in their field. The vineyard team managed by Anthony Blescher had perfectly geared and anticipated this year's climatic conditions. At the winery, I'm lucky enough to work with Stéphane Barras, a cellar master with 27 years' experience. They're all committed and have a lot to offer, which creates a wonderful working dynamic. The harvest was carried out perfectly, over a period of around ten days" - Romain Chevrolat shared excitedly.

From the end of winter till spring, the team has been working to protect the vines from health and climatic challenges. The hot temperatures at the end of August helped to reverse the trend right up until the harvest. By carefully choosing each harvest date, plot by plot, Romain Chevrolat, winemaker, and the team ensured that juices have kept their freshness and minerality, so characteristic of the Chablis wines. This was a vital approach for a vintage in which the heat led to a rarely seen rapid development of ripeness. The harvest began on September 7th in our plot of Premier Cru Côte de Léchet, followed by the other Premiers and Grands Crus, ending with the Chablis appellation on September 21st. From the very first juices, the rich, well-balanced aromatic profiles came to light. Fermentation took place in the best possible conditions, leaving the wines to keep maturing on their lees for several months. The 2023 vintage shows a very qualitative potential close to that of 2020. At Laroche, the vintage is already very promising, well-balanced, with fine tension and refreshing finesse.