2019 Chablis

Where Les Vaucoupins is discreet and reserved, Les Clos is expressive and powerful, with the full, luscious weight of the warm year behind it. 25% is raised in oak, of which only a tiny portion is new. This is a buttery, weighted, striking, and satisfying Les Clos, given exciting precision by the vintage’s wonderful acidity. Pretty smart for the money.

La Moutonne is a unique parcel – a monopole that has only had three owners since the middle ages. On an incredibly steep slope, this ancient climat straddles the two grands crus: Vaudésir (95% of the parcel) and Preuses (just 5%). It has breadth and silky depth, and sensational balance. This is one of the finest examples of Chablis Grand Cru you will find and brings with it fantastic ageing potential.

The Long-Depaquit parcel is situated right at the crest of the hill. This premier cru is reserved, tight and fresh with lemon zest and salty notes defining the palate. Some gunflint smoky notes should develop mineral complexity with time in bottle. A little shy right now, it should blossom a year or two. Excellent value for a premier cru.

Benoît’s village Chablis is a go-to wine across the vintages. Highly sought-after for its reliability and brilliant quality, this cuvée is a thrill to bring to Lay & Wheeler this year. It has a beautifully chalky, citrus character, so typical of the Kimmeridgian soil here. Notes of oyster shell and a balanced, poised palate make this a pretty perfect wine at the price.

This is undoubtedly the pinnacle of the Droin 2019s, and one of the finest grand cru cuvées in Chablis. Delicious on the nose, with mesmerising notes of citrus, oyster brine, and green apple. But whilst the nose is already so expressive, the palate will need time to fulfill its potential. There is so much power and elegance here, it will be worth the wait.

This is a blend of five terroirs across the steep Vaillons premier cru. Blending gives Benoît the chance to introduce freshness, with higher acid fruit running through the riper parcels. 30% was fermented and aged in oak, giving a good depth of structure behind the bright and peachy fruit. It is usually one of the most forward and approachable in his cellar, and 2019 is no different, with its lovely scent of spring flowers. No need to wait here; it has the energy and tension to make it open from youth.

This stands out in the Droin flight for its smoky, gunflint reduction. Benoît says Vosgros always shows a petrolly note in its youth, which marries beautifully with the impressive intensity on the palate in 2019. There is a quiet and refined austerity in this wine’s grip, expertly chiselled by the stainless steel fermentation and ageing. Very fine indeed.

This is the first premier cru Benoît decides to show. It is so flinty and taut on the nose, with lime, lemon, apricot and floral aromas, followed by nice fleshiness on the palate. It feels fresh, ripe, and straight: a classic structure, with perhaps a touch more roundness than cooler years. This unoaked premier cru will drink well from early on.

The Valmur displays its calibre in its depth of fruit and precision. There are extra layers of floral precision here, and formidable drive on the finish. It has a wonderful length, and will reward those who are patient as its finely balanced elements evolve over the years.

This is a sunny, south-facing vineyard, and the Droin vines are old, and low yielding. In 2019 you can feel the concentration of the vintage. Its nose is laden with peaches, ripe pears, and an elegant reduction. The salinity and mineral energy of the palate carry the full body of the wine with admirable grace. Powerful and persistent.

40% of this has been fermented and aged in oak, giving it a distinctly Burgundian feel. The vineyard has marly soil, and its wine’s aroma is like slicing through a juicy lemon. The oak helps give the palate structure and satisfying buttery depth, though the wine remains focused and nervous to the end.

There is always a clear gear shift when you reach the grands crus of the Droin cellar, with their greater density and focus. The Vaudésir is much like the Vaillons: open and inviting already, and of all the grands crus, should begin to drink the earliest, though its drinking window should not be underestimated. Chalky lift and a white peach scent make for an enticing wine.

Séchet is a lieu dit within the Vaillons premier cru, which is prized for its floral, mineral, and delicate power. These old vines, aged between 60 and 80 years, produce one of Samuel’s most complete wines. It is freshly tight on the nose, all lemon and seaspray. This, combined with the palate’s depth, perfectly demonstrates this winemaker’s pursuit of tension and energy in his wines.

This comes from a blend of three parcels, which Samuel says each contributes complexity, richness, and minerality. That’s a pretty good combination for a Chablis. It is flinty, clean-cut, direct, and persistent, and invariably one of our best-sellers.

This comes from three parcels within the premier cru, and has been raised 80% in tank, and 20% in oak. It is one of the most open and expressive of the premiers crus. Concentrated and saline, it is intense and pure, with nicely weighted green fruit in its backbone.

This fruit comes from a parcel that Samuel owns just above Grand Cru Les Clos, where the soil shifts to a mixture of Portlandian and Kimmeridgian limestone. When the parcel was owned by Billaud Simon, it had a reputation as one of the best sites for Petit Chablis, and this has followed Samuel in his own venture. Limey, salty, and tight, with a neat line of acidity.

Bursting with citrus and floral notes: freshly cut spring flowers and slices of lemon. A full, but precise and tense palate follows. Luscious without being heavy-weight, this strikes a fine balance. It should drink well from early on.

This comes from a blend of three parcels, which Samuel says each contributes complexity, richness, and minerality. That’s a pretty good combination for a Chablis. It is flinty, clean-cut, direct, and persistent, and invariably one of our best-sellers.

A focused, firm and structured Vaudésir. Saline and crisp on the nose, there is something intriguingly spicy on the palate - pickled ginger? This is a lovely grand cru from Samuel, with weight and depth. It packs a lot of punch.

The most prized vineyard in Chablis, and with good reason. It feels tightly coiled in its youth, with a wisp of smoky iodine lingering over briny citrus fruit. This will need a few years to level out and fully express the power contained within its mineral, tingling shell.

Samuel’s Montée de Tonnerre is a blend of two parcels, one of which lies alongside that of Raveneau’s. Light peachy scent with a precise and sizzling length of taut chalky acidity. The creaminess of the year’s fruit comes through nicely on the finish.

Samuel’s Montée de Tonnerre is a blend of two parcels, one of which lies alongside that of Raveneau’s. Light peachy scent with a precise and sizzling length of taut chalky acidity. The creaminess of the year’s fruit comes through nicely on the finish.

William’s father planted some of these vines in 1948. Since then, the domaine has expanded its holdings, and is now the largest owner of Chablis’ greatest site. They are at the top of the hill, in a cool site, where the best soils are found. This is, simply put, a fully realised expression of everything that you could hope for from William Fèvre and the greatest site in Chablis.

40 parcels scattered across 46 hectares go into this blend, which is open, flinty, fruity, and charming. With yields down 30-50% across the various parcels, there won’t be much available this year.