2020 Chablis

As ever, this is the pinnacle of the Droin wines, and one of the finest grand cru cuvées in Chablis. Benoît says it will need 20 years to reach its peak. I’ll keep my drink dates a little earlier, though I’ve no doubt the wine could peak at 20 years if you have the patience. It is so tight and nervous, with power bubbling beneath the still surface. The special name of this cuvée is in celebration of Louis Droin, who bought this parcel in 1920.

Mont de Milieu, the mountain in the middle, historically marked the frontier between Burgundy and Champagne. It has a south-facing aspect - rare in Chablis - and this wine expresses the flamboyant side of Chardonnay grown in a sunny spot in a cool climate. The old vines have produced a wine bursting with apricots and peaches; it’s like the fruit has been supercharged here. On the palate there is a pronounced chalky freshness which wraps around the gourmand fruit. This is so intense, salty, tense, but fleshy.

Valmur is pressed up against Les Clos; the contour of its slope, where much faces northwest, make it slightly cooler than other parts of the grand cru. In 2020 it has made a wine of exotic, tropical intensity, with aromatic pineapple notes. These are offset by the classical oyster shell notes on the palate, and the scintillating line of acidity running through its length.

Benoît’s village Chablis is one of the best (the best?) out there. The 2020 is packed with fruit, and has an energy and persistence that propels it across the palate. Nice chalky freshness, with zingy lift and poised citrus fruit. Outstanding value.

Séchet is a lieu dit within the Vaillons premier cru, which is prized for its floral, mineral, and delicate power. These old vines had belonged to his grandmother, and are now aged between 60 and 80 years. It is tightly coiled on the nose, a little shy at first, but slowly unfurling into one of the most complex and complete wines in Samuel’s cellar.

Samuel’s Montée de Tonnerre is a blend of two parcels, one of which lies alongside that of Raveneau’s. It has a wonderfully spicy scent, reminiscent of ginger. The palate is savoury and taut, with a tingling freshness on the finish.

Vaudésir sits high up on the grand cru hill, and is a sunny site whose steep incline catched the sun’s rays. The wine is deceptively full bodied, with power and precision driving through the finish, rather than mid-palate weight. As always, this is a great wine from Samuel.

This comes from the parcel at the bottom of the slope, by the river. Its soil always lends wines lots of saltiness and minerality, Didier says. The 2020 is incisive and tense, with a piercing saline freshness. Its texture is distinctly dry, perhaps thanks to the saltiness, and there is a green apple density to the midpalate, making it a particularly food-friendly example of Chablis.

William’s father planted some of these vines in 1948. Since then, the domaine has expanded its holdings, and it is now the largest owner of Chablis’ greatest site with over 4 hectares. Lots of their vines are at the top of the hill, in a cool site, where the best soils are found. The wine is saturated in white peach, oyster brine, fennel pollen, and limestone minerality. So complex, powerful, yet so understated in a way. This is truly grand cru in every sense.

Preuses tends to be the most mineral and chalky or the grand cru lieux-dits, and the Fèvre example is quintessential. It is tight and powerful, with wonderful depth on the nose. The palate has pronounced energy and precision, and there is a long, tingling line of mineral freshness that stretches right down the finish. An outstanding wine.

Unlike the 2019 that was shy and restrained when tasted from tank, this was bursting with expression. It has electric lime juice energy, with a transcendent purity. This is nervous, savoury, serious - and seriously delicious - classic Chablis.

Fourchaume has a little more flesh on its bones than the chiselled La Forêt. This is no surprise given Fourchaume is one of the warmer sites in Chablis, thanks to its southerly exposure. Yet it retains a punch of freshness with a complex saline acidity.

This old vine cuvée takes the prize for ‘hidden gem’ of our Chablis range. It comes from 40- to almost 70-year-old vines scattered across seven parcels, with a variety of soil structures and exposures. It is mineral, zingy, lime-fresh and intense, with great drive and depth. Plenty of dry extract gives the palate a serious weight even though this is, like the rest of the Bessin range, only carrying moderate alcohol. The fullness of the wine comes from the intensity of fruit, rather than its ripeness. This may be a wine of humble communal classification, but it has a profound character, and deserves special attention.

Bessin’s Valmur is arguably the best value grand cru in Burgundy. And in spite of its great value, the wine’s potential for ageing should not be underestimated. The 2020 is a densely-packed, green-apple scented, chalky, mineral, and incisive wine well deserving of its grand cru status. This should be magnificent after a decade in the cellar, if you can wait.