Chablis Premier Cru

Very pale colour with a light green tint. The nose is elegant and racy, with classical finesse, whilst a lovely array of subtle fruits builds across the palate, along with attractive floral notes. Very concentrated and the oak is very well judged. Drink 2014-2018
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

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.

From seven plots across all parts of Fourchaume, totalling two hectares of vines in all, planted in 1970. One fifth of the wine is barrel fermented. Fine pale colour with a very charming nose, with steel behind. Very racy, white fruit, extremely impressive. superb length. Already delicious but great potential to go further. Drink 2014-2018
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

Domaine d’Henri is a new producer to Berry Bros. & Rudd since 2015, but one which has impressed us all with their considered and thoughtful winemaking and the use of old vines is the key here.

Vieilles Vignes is produced from vineyards planted in 1970, from one of the finest 1er Cru sites.  Vinified predominately in stainless steel tanks (79%) to preserve the minerality and freshness, and in oak barrels (21%) of 228-litres so as to add more complex notes, weight and texture (you cannot taste wood).  No hurry here as it will age very well until 2020 or beyond, but very lovely now.

Twenty-five percent barrel-fermented with a fine, clear colour, this is a beautifully perfumed wine with some peach notes, even strawberry. This alluring, sensual character continues throughout the whole wine. It’s very lovely and should be attractive early. Drink 2017-2020.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

We visited Benoît Droin towards the end of the 2015 harvest. “If you had seen me a week ago, straight after the hail, I was on the point of committing suicide, but actually things have turned out much better than we feared,” he told us. Yields were of course affected in several vineyards but the wines across the board are extremely fine. The proportion of wood used reflects the style rather than the seniority of each cuvée.

These old vines, the last to be picked, are from the end of l'Homme Mort sector, a cooler site which delivers grapes with thick skins and hence great concentration of flavour, especially after a long but very gentle pressing. The 2015 has lovely, fresh, concentrated fruit; a powerful structure with good tannins; and a complex, richly fruited finish. There are multiple layers of flavour, waves of pure white fruit and a few fresh plums too. Drink 2019-2024.
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.

From a single plot, planted in 1937, which receives exceptionally meticulous care throughout the growing season. This is an astonishing Chablis of immense density, albeit still too young: the bouquet remains backward if promising but there is grand cru weight on the palate, thrilling yet fully integrated acidity and a wonderful, long finish.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director From a small parcel within Fourchaume, 75 Y.O vines. Breed, detail, structure and a pure, saline minerality. Chablis at its best!
Francis Huicq, London Shop Manager

Decanter World Wine Awards 2015 – Bronze Medal Winner - Chablis Wine
Beautiful bright, pale colour with a marvellously heady nose, picked before the rain. Complete and totally adorable with a magical thread of mineral acidity running through it. Really brilliant for Premier Cru Chablis. Drink 2016 - 2022+
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Taking advantage of its southerly exposure, Mont de Mileu can produce richer styles of Chablis often associated with that of Grand Cru wines. Here is an overt bouquet, expressing aromas of red apple skin, white peach & orange blossom. The palate is generously textured with a wealth of stone fruit, red apples and flicks of sweet oak. A lovely taught acidity underpins this to provide balance and retains freshness leading to a mouth-watering finish. 
Chris Lamb, Private Account Manager


The Pinson family can trace their history in Chablis back to 1640, there is even a Rue Pinson in the town so named because three Pinson brothers lived in identical houses in the street.

Louis Pinson sold his first bottles in 1880 but the domaine is now in the hands of his Great Grand-Daughter alongside her Father and Uncle. Highly regarded and meticulously managed, everything is hand-harvested and the grapes are sorted both in the vineyard and at the winery. Fermentation is mostly in stainless steel using selected yeasts before being transferred to barrels to mature.

Mont de Milieu is their largest holding but they also have vines in the 1er Crus of Forêt, Fourchaume, Montmains and Vaillon as well as the Grand Cru Les Clos.

A very powerful, very backward wine with a fine bright colour. The usual sunny, yellow-fruit notes are present, alongside white flower characters and a strong mineral thread. This wine is hugely concentrated with a touch of bacon fat, confirming that the fruit ripened well, but not excessively.
Jasper Morris MW - Burgundy Wine Director

Benoît Droin is the 14th generation of the family producing wine in Chablis, looking after a 25-hectare domaine with an impressive range of Premier and Grand Cru vineyards. Overall Benoît’s crop was down 15%, largely in straight Chablis after frost, and in the early ripening plots which suffered from drought. The wines are very backward this year as the prolonged cold spring inhibited the malolactic fermentation. However, it is very clear that these are wines of great concentration and real potential.

This is the domaine’s most substantial holding, its flagship Premier Cru. After a discreet start it displays a brilliant second half of the palate: a tannin or two at the back, lovely balance between the fruit (mirabelle and peach) and minerality, and an impressively long finish.
Jasper Morris MW - Burgundy Wine Director

This long-established family domaine impresses us more and more with every vintage. The Pinsons have always picked by hand and they are now using natural yeasts for the vinification process. Most wines are vinified in stainless steel, with a small percentage in barrel for the top wines, then matured in barrel for up to a year. The only bad news in 2012 is the quantity: 20% down for straight Chablis, 25-30% less across the Premier Cru vineyards and minus 50% on the Grand Cru which was affected by frost.

The vines here date from 1974. The bouquet offers a relatively rich expression of Chablis, if still a bit tight at the moment. There are apples and fresh quince, a huge volume of fruit on the palate, with real weight. It finishes on a pure expression of minerality.
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Picking began on Wednesday 2nd October for Les Butteaux and finished on the 8th. The crop was down overall by 35%, especially in village and Grand Cru. The wines underwent a long, slow fermentation without any lees stirring. Though we have long been admirers of this domaine, this is the first appearance for Louis Michel in our Grand Burgundy Offer.off without problem during vinification and in the cellar.

This is a magical Premier Cru from south-facing slope which ripened well in 2010. The small amount of new oak is swamped by the fruit which shows yellow peach and fresh apricot flavours. This is a more than significant mouthful.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Very pretty, bright ripe and floral fruit aromas. Linear and fine on the palate with minerality and crisp fruit in spades which coat the mouth from the off. A very serious wine which, while lovely now, will reward those with patience to tuck it away for a couple of years.
Chris Pollington, Private Account Manager

While Benoît Droin bemoans the reduced crop in 2010, albeit not as savage a deficit as in the Côte d’Or, he is thrilled with the quality. 2010 Chablis unites ripe flavours with excellent acidity. As usual Benoît has managed his different terroirs with masterly precision, varying the amount of oak to suit each cuvée. Therefore, there is no wood for the Grand Cru Blanchots, but 50% for Les Grenouilles. This is a domaine that lets you choose wine that suits your palate.

Planted in 1943 and untouched since, these vines are still in great condition. With great weight in the mouth, this has ripe apple notes, huge concentration and a powerful take-no-prisoners finish.

This is an outstanding range of wines from Guillaume, the best we have seen here. The season got off to a difficult start with a touch of frost followed by a Whitsun heatwave, which restricted the flowering. After a normal June, a very wet July encumbered work in the vineyards, then the weather cheered up at the end of the season. The Michels harvested from 17th September through to 1st October because of different ripeness levels, stopping in the middle. Clearly this attention to detail paid off in the end. The wines are hand-picked and fermented in stainless steel using natural yeasts.

Although made in a mix of new, one- and two-year-old barrels, the oak does not show. This is a really good wine with fruit to the fore, superb volume and great style. It has magical power through the middle and a tiny note of lemon balm on top of vivid bright fruit. It is very long and persistent.

Laurent Pinson is happy to report better volumes than in recent vintages, and more typical Chablis in style. The grapes ripened nicely yet retained very good acidity. The crop was picked by hand in good weather, and fermented with natural yeasts. The crus are all barrel-aged, with a small proportion being barrel fermented. As usual, we see not just great quality but also excellent value for money at this estate.