Chablis

Our 2017 Chablis comes from two separate vineyards in the village of Chichée, renowned for its classically steely character. The small but excellent 2017 vintage has given a wine with a harmonious balance between ripe orchard fruits and crisp, refreshing mineral notes. Fermented and raised completely in tank, this is a benchmark expression of Chablis, one which is equally at home as an aperitif or with seafood or a goats cheese salad.

There isn’t a hair out of place on this classic, steely Chablis, from a producer who has fast become a favourite here at Berry Bros. & Rudd. With levels of concentration and precision – not to mention the potential to age – worthy of a Premier Cru, it demonstrates the class of the much-lauded 2017 vintage. Just add oysters. Drink now to 2023.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)

This is a blend of five different parcels, split 50-50 between the left and right sides of the river Serein. Raised entirely in stainless steel to preserve freshness, the nose offers smoky minerals and a touch of citrus fruit. The palate has plenty of tension, with just the right amount of mid-palate stuffing. Proper Chablis. Drink 2019-2024.

It’s mixed news this year: while 2017 sees the return of the much-loved Cuvée Mademoiselle, overall there is less wine than in 2016, frost damage having cut the crop by anything up to 70 percent, with the worst-affected area being Les Clos. Despite the obvious disappointment of the small crop, Laurent and Charlène were delighted with the quality and health of the grapes at harvest, and feel this is a classically Chablisien vintage.

In 2017 this is a blend of mostly Pargues and Cartes, plus a reduced percentage of Bas de Chapelot due to frost. The nose has lifted aromas of citrus fruit while the palate displays lemon-and-lime freshness, with a chalky and saline mineral feel. The lower proportion of Chapelot this year has yielded a more elegant wine. Drink 2019-2025.
Adam Bruntlett - Wine Buyer

The brilliantly talented Samuel Billaud was finding family politics hard going, so he founded his own wine label in Chablis separate from Domaine Billaud-Simon. However, with the sale of Domaine Billaud- Simon to Faiveley in 2014, Samuel has got back a proportion of the vineyards for himself. Whether from domaine sources or purchased grapes, Samuel Billaud’s wines demonstrate his exceptional talent.

Fèvre’s domaine bottling of Chablis is arguably one of the benchmarks. Drawn from almost 50 hectares of vineyard exclusively on Kimmeridgian soils, this displays the classic Chablis nose of pretty orchard fruit and tangy oyster shell minerals. Ten percent is barrelfermented, which adds a little texture to the saline and crisp palate. Drink 2019-2024.

Didier has mixed emotions about the 2017 vintage; the quality is excellent, but thanks to the frost at the end of April, volumes are low, with their substantial holdings on the rive droite (right bank) particularly suffering. Up to 60 percent of the crop was lost in the Grands Crus, particularly Les Clos. Didier explained that, in comparison to 2016, the season post-frost was relatively simple, with warm, dry conditions and rain falling when required. He describes 2017 as a very classic vintage which offers acidity, freshness and tension.

Sébastien feels that the Côte de Léchet is the most serious of all his wines, and the one with the most ageing potential, and it is hard to disagree. There is a lovely marine quality to the nose, tangy and saline. On the front of the palate, there is a surprising weight of fruit before everything tightens up and the limestone character kicks in. Concentrated and pure, this crackles with energy. Drink 2020-2025.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

The Dampt family has been making wine for more than 150 years in Chablis. Having studied viticulture in Beaune, young Sébastien worked in Sancerre, Nuits-St Georges and Australia to broaden his experience before returning to the family domaine, Daniel Dampt, in 2005 to work alongside his father and brother. In 2007, he took back seven hectares under his own name. The domaine is situated in Milly, to the west of Chablis, and 50 percent of the holdings are Premier Cru. The wines are largely vinified and raised in stainless steel and concrete, the aim being to produce a linear and classic interpretation of Chablis. Sébastien explained that 2016 has a certain richness from the low yields, thanks to frost, hail and subsequent mildew. Thankfully the perfect summer and ripening season meant that quality is exceptional, with wonderful balance and classically pure Chablis characteristics. While Sébastien makes a range of Premiers Crus, we have chosen to focus our offer on his excellent Côte de Léchet; an historic family parcel located just a stone’s throw from the cellars.

There is a lovely classic Chablis nose of crushed oyster shell and lemon fruit. The palate is tangy, with a surprising structure and grip, while remaining fine and elegant. The old vines suffer from court-noué, giving lots of very small grapes which results in plenty of concentration and phenolic grip. Lemony and saline, this is textbook Chablis with a punch. Drink 2020-2026.

The 2017 vintage saw the domaine light candles in the vineyards for six successive nights at the end of April to raise temperatures and keep the frost at bay. While some unprotected parcels were badly hit, the Côte de Léchet survived relatively unscathed and the warm, dry season that followed has produced a wine with a freshness that reminds Sébastien of the outstanding 2014 vintage. His Côte de Léchet offers exceptional value for money for those who enjoy a classic, steely expression of Chablis.

This is an exceptionally concentrated, relatively full-bodied village Chablis, from vines a minimum of 40 years old. One quarter of the blend is raised in used oak. There’s a hint of stone-fruit on the nose, as well as classic aromas of citrus and sea air – that saline thread persisting right to the end of the long, fresh finish. Drink now to 2026.
Will Heslop , Burgundy Buying Assistant (winter 2019)

This is from an excellent spot between Montmains and Vosgros, on an identical slope to the Premiers Crus, but which for some reason was omitted from the Premier Cru appellation – perhaps because the slope had not been replanted post-phylloxera when the map was being drawn up. Stricter and more linear than the Boucheran cuvée, this is saline, mineral and fine, with crackling energy and tension. Will require more time, and perhaps one for true Chablis purists. Drink now to 2024. 
Adam Bruntlett, Buyer (summer 2019)

This comes from a parcel located between the Premiers Crus of Montmains and Vaillons, with a band of clay running through the vineyard. The nose is classy and refined, with crystalline orchard fruits and a hint of earthy mineral reduction. The entry is voluminous and rich, but there is a real finesse behind, with minerality that builds from a discreet base to give a stinging finish. Excellent. Drink now to 2024. 
Adam Bruntlett, Buyer (summer 2019)

From 60-year-old vines, the nose offers citrus and floral notes. After the initial zesty kick, this becomes more expansive on the mid-palate, tightening up again with an unerring finish of chalk, lemon and salinity. Drink 2020-2026.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

The legendary Louis Pinson himself retired in 1983, having made some fabulous oldstyle Chablis. His great-grand-daughter, Charlène, along with her father Laurent and her uncle Christophe are now in charge. There is a Rue Pinson in Chablis, dating back to an earlier generation when three Pinson brothers lived in identical houses on the street. Everything is hand-harvested, with sorting of the grapes both in the vineyard and at the winery. The wines are wild-fermented, mostly in stainless steel tanks, before barrel ageing, with the proportion of oak depending on the cuvée. Despite describing 2016 as a testing year, Laurent Pinson and his daughter Charlène are upbeat, declaring themselves very happy with the quality of the grapes and resultant wines. Volumes are down in many cases, and the limited-production Cuvée Mademoiselle has not been made this year.

The frost meant that there are only three barrels of this in 2016, as opposed to the usual five. As ever with Vaillons, there is a good level of richness – Laurent describes it as “gourmand” – but underpinned by tension and nervosity. A chalky texture provides a cleansing freshness to the finish, along with a touch of spicy oak which will integrate further with time in bottle.

Mont-de-Milieu is the Pinson family’s largest holding of the Premiers Crus and consequently something of a flagship wine. The nose shows a little of its oak élevage at present, along with subtle wafts of noble reduction. There is a wonderful concentration of fruit, beautifully intertwined with cool, marine notes. A harmonious wine with great finesse and elegance. Drink 2020-2026.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

The legendary Louis Pinson himself retired in 1983, having made some fabulous oldstyle Chablis. His great-grand-daughter, Charlène, along with her father Laurent and her uncle Christophe are now in charge. There is a Rue Pinson in Chablis, dating back to an earlier generation when three Pinson brothers lived in identical houses on the street. Everything is hand-harvested, with sorting of the grapes both in the vineyard and at the winery. The wines are wild-fermented, mostly in stainless steel tanks, before barrel ageing, with the proportion of oak depending on the cuvée. Despite describing 2016 as a testing year, Laurent Pinson and his daughter Charlène are upbeat, declaring themselves very happy with the quality of the grapes and resultant wines. Volumes are down in many cases, and the limited-production Cuvée Mademoiselle has not been made this year.

Redolent of oyster shells and with a hint of reduction – that he attributes to terroir rather than winemaking, Didier’s 2016 Vosgros is a knockout. A cool breeze means the vines here ripen relatively slowly, but they face southwest so see plenty of sun. This wine’s round, ripe, sunny side will reveal itself with another year or two in bottle – and may even fool you into thinking it’s barrel-aged (in fact it’s raised exclusively in stainless steel). Drink now to 2023.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)

The Pinson family has nearly five hectares here and consequently this is something of a flagship wine. With 10 percent of the cuvée fermented in new oak, there is more spice here, but the class of the wine ensures it is not dominant. There is a piercing mineral core and immense concentration; a real star of the vintage. Drink 2022-2030.

It’s mixed news this year: while 2017 sees the return of the much-loved Cuvée Mademoiselle, overall there is less wine than in 2016, frost damage having cut the crop by anything up to 70 percent, with the worst-affected area being Les Clos. Despite the obvious disappointment of the small crop, Laurent and Charlène were delighted with the quality and health of the grapes at harvest, and feel this is a classically Chablisien vintage.

These vines were planted in 1956, so are slightly younger than the Forêt vines. The nose displays classic Chablis dairy notes, some citrus and a touch of spice from the oak. This is a classic Montmain, with lovely, lemony acidity, well-integrated oak and plenty of oyster shell and sea-breeze notes. Drink 2021-2028.

It’s mixed news this year: while 2017 sees the return of the much-loved Cuvée Mademoiselle, overall there is less wine than in 2016, frost damage having cut the crop by anything up to 70 percent, with the worst-affected area being Les Clos. Despite the obvious disappointment of the small crop, Laurent and Charlène were delighted with the quality and health of the grapes at harvest, and feel this is a classically Chablisien vintage.

Four barrels were made this year (one more than in 2016), from the climat of Châtains. The nose displays classic green, herbaceous lemongrass aromas combined with spicy oak courtesy of its ageing in used barrels. The palate is packed with zesty lime and just a hint of well-integrated oak. Drink 2020-2026.

It’s mixed news this year: while 2017 sees the return of the much-loved Cuvée Mademoiselle, overall there is less wine than in 2016, frost damage having cut the crop by anything up to 70 percent, with the worst-affected area being Les Clos. Despite the obvious disappointment of the small crop, Laurent and Charlène were delighted with the quality and health of the grapes at harvest, and feel this is a classically Chablisien vintage.

With a fine, pale colour, the nose is restrained in youth, but there is a delicious wealth of fruit on the palate, folded into a rich background and finishing in fresh style. This is a very stylish bottling of Fourchaume. Drink 2019-2023.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Visiting the domaine during the 2015 harvest, we found Margaux Laroche beaming like a cat with two tails. The storm which had dropped hail over other vineyards had merely provided much needed water for their Fourchaume vines. The grapes badly needed the extra juice which the rains provided, and the extra hang time allowed for them to assimilate the water usefully and then regain their equilibrium behind. The resulting wines are terrific.