Domaine Jean Goulley is well regarded for their mineral style of Chablis’s that have a purity and vivacity that pays homage to the Chablis of the past.
2020 is a very fine vintage which is not easy to compare to other years. Although the grapes ripened very early in the year, the dry weather and absence of heat spikes meant that grape quality and health was exceptional. It has been described as ‘a very classic vintage’ and very different from 2018 and 2019. Many producers have described it as the best since 2014!
In the glass, this 2020 Chablis has layers of concentration, with wonderful purity of fruit and the typical undertow of minerality that Goulley is renowned for. A fine thread of acidity focuses everything on the palate and the finish is mouthwatering.
Domaine Jean Goulley was formed in 1986 by Jean Goulley and is now run by his granddaughter Maud. Maud and her family believe in the ethos of organic farming along with that of minimal intervention; all of their vineyards are farmed organically. The vineyard is situated on the left bank of the River Sereine, where the vines are planted with an easterly orientation at an average altitude of 210 metres. The double Guyot trained vines are between 25 to 30 years old and are grown in Kimmeridgian soils, which are rich in clay and limestone with fossilised seashells. There is also the presence of Cailloux, large pebbles which help to promote ripening by absorbing the heat of the day and then radiating it at night. The vines are planted to a density of 5,700 vines per hectare and yields are kept to a maximum of 60 hectolitres per hectare. At Domaine Jean Goulley, they believe in highlighting terroir and produce their wines in an unoaked style, allowing them to reveal the purity, minerality and vitality of the soil.
