Background

Based in the small village of Chichée Domaine Gilbert Picq is now run by Gilbert’s children, Pascal in the vines, Didier makes the wines and Marilyn works in the office; the family have farmed this land for generations. The commitment to quality here is impressive. Old vines are retained. Yields are kept low. No oak is used, only stainless steel. Fermentations take place with natural yeasts. The aim is simple, transmit Chablis’ unique terroir as faithfully and transparently as possible. This simple approach works. In the words of the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley, Domaine Picq is “one of Chablis’s finest, a source of concentrated and incisive Chablis that are well worth seeking out.” When we spoke to Didier about his vineyards, he told us that Chichée has long been used by négociants as a source of high-quality wine to go into their large Chablis blends. In the past its name rarely appeared or was discussed, which suited the large merchant’s needs. When Chablis’ Grand and 1er Crus where demarcated Chichée was largely overlooked. This is a shame, as the terroir is classic Chablis; a high proportion of Kimmeridgian Clay in vineyards well angled to catch the sun. Indeed, Didier’s 1er Cru Vaucoupin enjoys a similar aspect to Bougros Grand Cru. This relative anonymity does mean that the quality to value ratio here is excellent, one can buy wines from one of the regions finest domaines for little more than the blends of the large négociants.