Domaine Laroche, Chablis (8 Best Wines 2024)

Domaine Laroche is renowned for its opulent Chablis Grand Cru wines. 

For over a century, this winery has been perfecting wines that are a delicate expression of the unique Burgundy terroir. 

Let’s discover everything about this famous wine estate - its best wines, vineyards, winemaking, and great food pairings.

A Quick Intro to Domaine Laroche

In 1850, Jean-Victor Laroche bought his first vine parcels and founded the Domaine Laroche winery in the Obédiencerie district of the Chablis appellation. 

The vineyards have stayed with the Laroche family over the years. Today, Domaine Laroche is owned by Michel Laroche and has expanded operations to Languedoc, Chile, and South Africa. 

Mas La Chevaliere, the Domaine Laroche estate in Languedoc, grows other varietals, including Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier, besides the Chardonnay grape.

The winery produces Chardonnay wines from all four Chablis appellations:

• Chablis Grand Cru
• Chablis Premier Cru
• Petit Chablis
• Chablis 

Most Domaine Laroche wines (about 70%) belong to the village-level Chablis AOC region, including its flagship wine, Saint Martin. 

The portfolio of Domaine Laroche wines includes:

• Grand Crus

  • Les Bouguerots
  • Les Clos
  • Les Blanchots
  • La reserve de l'Obedience

• Premiers Crus

  • Les Beauroys
  • Les Vaudevey
  • Cote de Lechet
  • Les Vaillons
  • Les Montmains
  • Les Fourneaux
  • Les Vaucoupins
  • Mont de Milieu
  • Montee de Tonnerre
  • Les Fourchaumes

• Chablis

  • Chablis Saint Martin
  • Chablis Vieille Voye

8 Exceptional Domaine Laroche Wines

Here are our favorite Domaine Laroche wines:

1. 1998 Domaine Laroche Reserve de l'Obedience Les Blanchots ($226)

Here’s a beautiful Chardonnay with white flower aromas, intense minerality, and potent citrus fruit notes.

2. 1999 Domaine Laroche Les Clos ($181)

This is a flavorful white wine with oak-influenced aromas, crystalline purity, and tangerine peel, honey, and lime flavors. 

3. 1997 Domaine Laroche Les Blanchots ($173)

The vintage Chablis wine presents an addictive nose of almond, dried flowers, and citrus offset by mesmerizing orange rind, lemon curd, and green apple tasting notes.

4. 2017 Domaine Laroche Les Bouguerots Grand Cru ($113)

Here’s a great wine that offers earthy and smoke aromas along with a palate of tantalizing lime, pineapple, and chamomile flavors.

5. 1989 Domaine Laroche Les Fourchaume Vieilles Vignes ($101)

This high quality white wine has a racy minerality, balanced acidity, and beautiful white blossom and tangerine peel notes. 

6. 2016 Domaine Laroche Montmains ($65)

Here we have a great wine with crystalline purity and a smoky nose balanced by delectable apple, orange, and radish flavors.

7. 2017 Domaine Laroche Mont de Milieu ($60)

This Chablis wine has a bouquet of dried flowers and intense citrus notes of lemon, mango, and orange rind.

8. 2015 Domaine Laroche Les Vaillons Vieilles Vignes ($58)

Here’s a high quality white that boasts of oriental spice aromas and a palate of stone fruit, candied pineapple, and lime tasting notes.

Best Food Pairings for Domaine Laroche

The range of Domaine Laroche wines works well with a variety of cuisines. They are excellent complements to seafood, salmon, chicken, pasta, cheeses, cream sauces, seasonal vegetables, and salads.

Domaine Laroche Vineyards and Terroir

Domaine Laroche owns 90 hectares of vineyard lands spread across the Chablis appellation. This includes vine plots in:

• Chablis Grand Cru: 6 hectares 
• Chablis Premier Cru: 21 hectares
• Chablis appellation: 63 hectares 

The vineyard terroir is characterized by limestone-rich Kimmeridgian and calcareous soils.    

Domaine Laroche is currently transitioning to organic viticulture. The vineyards are known for their sustainable farming practices and moderated yields that produce high-quality grapes.

The estate also focuses on owner Michel's winemaking philosophy of one-man plots - a single person taking total responsibility for each vineyard parcel from pruning to harvest. 

Winemaking at Domaine Laroche

The grape varietals are hand-harvested to preserve the natural flavors and extract the best expression of the vintage. They are crushed and fermented in stainless steel tanks. 

The Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyard wines are partly fermented in oak to add a woody flavor and more oxygen. 

The different Cuvees are then blended and aged on fine lees for 8-12 months.

The chief winemaker at Domaine Laroche is Gregory Viennois, a Chapoutier and Derenoncourt alumnus. An interesting change under his leadership is Domaine Laroche's early 2000s transition to using screwcap closures for its wines.

Invest in a Fine Domaine Laroche through Vinovest

Domaine Laroche has a proud heritage of producing some of the best Chablis wines. Stock a bottle from this prestigious winery to seduce guests at your next house party.

If you want to build a portfolio of Chablis and other collectible wines from your wish list, check out the Vinovest website. The AI-based platform will help you easily buy, store, and sell authentic wines from around the world.