Domaine Laroche

Domaine Laroche is one of France’s finest producers, justly proud of their status as a key founding pioneer of the Chablis style and heritage. Indeed, their historical headquarters are based in the beautiful Obédiencerie in the heart of Burgundy’s northmost wine district Chablis, which was originally a monastery dating back to the ninth century. In fact, this site can claim to be the birthplace of Chablis; the Saint-Martin monks established Chablis’ first vines here and lay the groundwork for what would become one of the world’s finest and most elegant white wines. Today, Laroche export their superb range of wines worldwide, with the Grand Crus being particularly highly sought-after in the world’s most famous restaurants. For if ever a wine was designed to accompany food, then it is Chablis – balanced, appetizing, flavorsome, and very moreish. Not to mention far easier to obtain than the revered white wines of the Cote d’Or further south.

Laroche dates back from the mid-19th century, when Jean-Victor Laroche, a laborer, purchased his first parcel of vines a short distance from the village of Chablis. As the decades went by, the business was passed from generation to generation, and its fame and size steadily grew, reaching 6 hectares in the 1960s. At this time, the region totaled a mere 600 hectares, having been badly affected by the late 19th century’s phylloxera epidemic. During this period, Henri Laroche inherited the domaine in 1967, just as confidence was returning to the Chablis region. Henri, and later his son Michel, instigated major expansion projects and quality enhancements at the domaine, purchasing the best possible vineyards and increasing their holdings of the lauded Premier and Grand Crus. Yields were kept to a minimum, and installing the latest, high-tech equipment was considered a top priority.

The 21st century saw yet more change, with Michel Laroche founding the Union des Grand Crus de Chablis, with the mission statement of promoting their great wines to the unbaptized. Laroche was also the pioneer of using screwcap closures for Chablis, to great applause and controversy in the world. In recent years, Michel has passed over control of Laroche to current president Thierry Bellicaud, under the ownership of the Advini group. But although Michel now spends his time in the south of France, he still takes a keen interest in the fortunes of Chablis and remains an active member of the Union.

Today, Laroche is managed by an incredibly talented team, including winemaker Grégory Viennois and cellar master Stephane Barras. Their expertise and dedication to understanding their terroirs shine through in the range of wines, which are always supple, gently creamy, and never green. Laroche’s calling card produces wines that clearly show a sense of place and that quintessential minerality whilst offering more fruit and body than typically austere young Chablis. But the undoubted star of the show is their deluxe cuvee Reserve de L’Obedience; using the best wines from the Blanchots Grand Cru, it is one of the region’s finest examples, classy, complex, and profound. But like the domaine itself, all the wines show great form in recent vintages. Formidable!