Domaine Laroche : Chablis Grand cru "Les Blanchots La Réserve de l'Obédience" 2015

The 2015 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots La Réserve de l'Obédience strangely did not quite deliver the intensity of the regular les Blanchots. This felt very closed and tight-lipped by comparison and you had to eke out those white flower, peony aromas. The palate is, again, tight and straight, a strict Chablis with a terse, stony, flinty finish that just needs to develop more joie de vivre. It's like waiting for an opera singer to sing who has forgotten his lines, yet you know the talent is there. My score reflects the fact that with two or three years in bottle, this will evolve into a delicious and complex Réserve de l'Obédience.

There is substance here, with concentrated flavors of peach and melon, shaded by notes of oak spice and lemon. Well-structured, courtesy of the lively acidity, leaving an aftertaste of ripe fruit and mineral. Best from 2018 through 2024. 25 cases imported.

Powerful mineral nose, has heft and assertiveness. Aged mostly in oak, but not new oak, so the wood adds texture rather than flavour. Very rich with a distinct sucrosity, it seems to have less initial grip than the regular Blanchots, but then the mineral bite and grip creep up on the finish. Very long.

Slightly more closed than the other Blanchot, with an enticing toasted note, on the palate the sap is thicker, spicier, the texture richer, it is clearly far superior but absolutely not ready. Impressive reserve and potential in this vintage.