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.

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. In 2019 it has superb freshness, with a tight, green apple energy and tremendous length. Persistent and tingling, with some attractive bitterness just at the edge.

Vaillons is a warm, sunny premier cru, and Fèvre has 3.5 hectares plum in the middle of the slope. Their 55 year old vines produce concentration and ripeness in the wine. The 2019 has thrilling acidity to balance the ripe white fruit of the palate. They picked early here, and have captured the vibrant energy of the vintage.

Bright and zippy, this is the freshest and zingiest of the Fèvre grands crus. The amphitheatre-like shape of the vineyard is a sun trap, and as a result this is always one of the first picked sites. In 2019 it has richness and a full, aromatically expressive minerality, with a green apple edge on the palate. They picked at just the right moment.

Three parcels are blended here, creating a complex and crystalline wine. Some of the vines were planted in 1936, and these add beautiful freshness along with density of fruit. It is restrained, taut, sea-salty fresh, and long. It is a highlight amongst a stellar set of wines. This is every inch a premier cru, if not even a little grand cru.

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.

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.

This has a gorgeous nose of sweet, floral fruit. It seems so harmonious, but is actually a blend of two parcels, one adding freshness and tension, the other depth and richness. They are matched so seamlessly that the overall effect is of a mellifluous and complete wine. Elegant, pure, deep, rich, fresh, and arrestingly beautiful.

This has a gorgeous nose of sweet, floral fruit. It seems so harmonious, but is actually a blend of two parcels, one adding freshness and tension, the other depth and richness. They are matched so seamlessly that the overall effect is of a mellifluous and complete wine. Elegant, pure, deep, rich, fresh, and arrestingly beautiful.

William Fèvre owns half of this grand cru, so it’s no wonder theirs is the best example you will find. The deeper clay soils make a wonderfully early drinking style, with all the power and finesse you would expect from a grand cru. Ripe, lush, approachable, and very temptingly priced for a wine of this level.

Vaulorent is technically part of Fourchaume, the largest premier cru in Chablis. It is also usually the ripest, but the site is highly heterogeneous, and Vaulorent is undoubtedly the best parcel within, and the only one on the same hill as the grand cru. It has very chalky soil and produces a wine of power and silky tension. The 2019 is so stylish, it seems weightless, yet its long finish shows such vibrant concentration. Outstanding.

These 60 year old vines in Mont de Milieu are prone to millerandages, and so always produce small yields, which is particularly the case in 2019. There is astounding power and energy here, with plump fruit and zinging freshness, with a fine, salty finish. Wonderful.

This might just be the best value grand cru in Burgundy. For the sheer weight of character, depth, and precision, you couldn’t do much better for the same price anywhere else. It is smoky, taut, so intense. The palate has elevated power and freshness. This should make great old bones.

Initially this is a little shy, but a quick swirl releases an intense nose of classical saline lime and apple. There is a harmony here between the ripeness of the vintage, with ripe stone fruit, and the nervous freshness of this style of Chablis. Fennel and fresh flowers weave through the texture of the wine. This is excellent.

It is hard to overemphasise how much more than a standard Chablis this is. The old vines range from 40 to 68 years old, and are scattered across seven different parcels, with a variety of soil structures and exposures. It takes the prize for ‘hidden gem’ of our Chablis range, with its crunchy, lime-juice zing, and compelling mineral freshness. The palate has weight and drive. This may be a wine of humble communal classification, but it has a profound character, and deserves special attention.

Fourchaume is one of the warmest sites in Chablis, thanks to its southerly exposure. In the hands of the Bessins, it retains its punchy freshness in an explosive bright pineapple style. Vibrant, juicy, with a little touch of yellow spice, and a long, fresh finish. This is a prime example of the ‘alive’ style of wines here: it has so much expression, even in youth.