Chablis 2018

Always incredibly fast to sell, this is a brilliant Clos from Long Depaquit. Focussed, saline, and very textured, there’s crushed rocks and lemon oil here. A great buy.

The monopole of Long Depaquit in the heart of the Grands Crus, this is the most Côte de Beaune-like Chablis we know. Silky, explosive, with tons of minerality, it remains a benchmark.

This comes from vines that are on the slope at the top of the vineyard. Lemon oil and orange blossom on the nose, with a nice mealy character, plenty of gunflint and lovely salinity here. Nice density and pretty finesse on the finish, with a lovely phenolic character. This is complex and intense with lovely balance. Beautiful.

The morning sun defines this Grand Cru, which is delicate and finessed, with notes of apple blossom, sea spray, and freshly cut ginger. So pretty and saline, it’s one that you won’t be able to put down.

This is very reserved and reticent at the moment, with so much minerality and focus. Powerful, this is a wine that will need time to come around. When it does, it will be one for the ages.

There’s plenty of breadth and amplitude on the Vosgros this year, with notes of brioche and peaches, but still Benoît’s normal lightness of touch and focus. A really nice balance of power and precision.

One of the more open wines when we tasted last summer, this has notes of grapefruit oil, a silky texture, and plenty of focus on the finish. Immediately charming and loveable.

The sunniest plot in Chablis, and facing due south, this is opulent, bright, and very impressive. Notes of pineapple and ripe peach are brilliantly balanced with spice, and a stunning thread of acidity. Hard not to love.

From deeper soils than a lot of Chablis, this is intense and stony, with notes of nectarine and orange blossom. There’s a real mineral tang on the finish, that lasts an age.

Sunny and open, there are floral notes and plenty of intense citrus fruit. This is finessed, charming, and impressively long.

Wow. Intense and structured, there is so much complexity and power here. There’s a reason Clos is so highly prized. This is remarkable.

One of the best village Chablis out there, this has plenty of tension and drive, but with a beautifully ripe core of grapefruit and fresh oranges. Lovely texture on the long finish. Blind, you'd call this Premier Cru.

Montee de Tonnerre is usually considered the closest premier cru to the grands crus, and with showings like this, we can see why. Elegant and refined, yet with stunning depth, there's really remarkable precision here. This is rippling with energy - in five years, it will blow you away.

An intense, powerful Grand Cru, the Valmur in 2018 doesn't disappoint. Plenty of grip on the palate, with ripe oranges, and a hint of exotic spice, too. There's fresh ginger that unfurls on the finish. Complex, and totally delicious.

Very old vines in Sechet lend this a real complexity, and almost Grand Cru, oily texture. Always one of our favourites, this is so mineral, with iodine and oyster shell, and just a hint of conference pears. Give this time.

Intense and pure, with notes of wild, herbal honey, and also a generosity of fruit. There's salinity here alongside breadth of fruit, which gets you salivating. A brilliant premier cru.

Very old vines in Sechet lend this a real complexity, and almost Grand Cru, oily texture. Always one of our favourites, this is so mineral, with iodine and oyster shell, and just a hint of conference pears. Give this time.

A delicious Petit Chablis from Samuel, from vines on the top of the Grand Cru hillside, that punch above their weight. Notes of apple blossom and sea spray, with a fine, long, and complex finish.

Notes of wild flowers and crushed rocks on the nose of this delicate, soaring Grand Cru. Notes of iodine and orange blossom on the palate complete the picture. This will be approachable much earlier than some.

One of the best village Chablis out there, this has plenty of tension and drive, but with a beautifully ripe core of grapefruit and fresh oranges. Lovely texture on the long finish. Blind, you'd call this Premier Cru.

Rich yet focussed, this is a masterpiece from Samuel. Notes of ripe citrus, with blood orange and grapefruit, and also a real floral character. The palate is silky and full, with tons of energy on the finish. Bravo.

The most prized vineyard in Chablis, and with good reason. This is so intense and pure, with notes of peach and spice, and a hint of saffron, too. The finish is linear and mineral, and lasts for minutes. Outstanding.

Montee de Tonnerre is usually considered the closest premier cru to the grands crus, and with showings like this, we can see why. Elegant and refined, yet with stunning depth, there's really remarkable precision here. This is rippling with energy - in five years, it will blow you away.

Plenty of elderflower and salinity here, with a pear skin texture and grapefruit pith on the finish. There’s an oyster shell character, and loads of energy.

From two hectares on this very steep plot. Very mineral nose, plenty of power and fine citrus fruit - also red apples and lots of white peach. So much depth here, intense and powerful but so much minerality. So complex, with that fruit and savoriness all interlinking. Intense and long. Nicely made, this will be brilliant.

From two hectares on this very steep plot. Very mineral nose, plenty of power and fine citrus fruit - also red apples and lots of white peach. So much depth here, intense and powerful but so much minerality. So complex, with that fruit and savoriness all interlinking. Intense and long. Nicely made, this will be brilliant.

From two hectares on this very steep plot. Very mineral nose, plenty of power and fine citrus fruit - also red apples and lots of white peach. So much depth here, intense and powerful but so much minerality. So complex, with that fruit and savoriness all interlinking. Intense and long. Nicely made, this will be brilliant.

3.5 hectares in Vaillons itself, with 50 year old vines. A solar parcel, this is one to age: it will develop minerality. Quite reduced, oyster shell, and plenty of struck match. On the palate there’s a bit more body and plenty of intense citrus fruit, with a nice clean finish.

From 1.2 hectares in the sunniest spot in Chablis where the grapes are first to ripen. Very ripe pears on the palate, plenty of peach fruit and also loads of generosity, too. Lots going on here, and nicely saline palate keeps it all together. Very intense citrus, and also even a note of kiwi. But also plenty of minerality - really feel the rocks here.

Over two hectares in three different terroirs here. Some for tension at the top of hill, some in Chapelot for richness and power, and a west-facing 1936 planting that’s very mineral. Very pure and elegant, most precise wine in the cellar. Crushed rocks and oyster shell, and a touch of gunflint. Palate is so savoury and almost unforgiving, lip-tingling salinity and amazing purity on the finish. One for the purists.

More than half of the four hectare plot was planted in 1947/1948 by William’s dad. So much freshness and minerality, also volume in the mouth with understated fruit; pears and peaches, and also elderflower and crushed shells, and sea spray and hints of fresh ginger, even, and a touch of gunflint. So impressive and integrated - the complexity blows you away.

More than half of the four hectare plot was planted in 1947/1948 by William’s dad. So much freshness and minerality, also volume in the mouth with understated fruit; pears and peaches, and also elderflower and crushed shells, and sea spray and hints of fresh ginger, even, and a touch of gunflint. So impressive and integrated - the complexity blows you away.

Very floral, elderflower, but also richness of fruit, plenty of amplitude, but comes back together from this richness and mouth filling fruit with precision and finesse. An interesting balance.

West facing part of Bougros, this is the Grand Cru to discover Chablis. Really generous, with oyster shell but also orange pith and plenty of nectarine and white peaches. Quite rich and powerful, and nice salinity on the finish. Very finely judged - but nice and opulent too.

West facing part of Bougros, this is the Grand Cru to discover Chablis. Really generous, with oyster shell but also orange pith and plenty of nectarine and white peaches. Quite rich and powerful, and nice salinity on the finish. Very finely judged - but nice and opulent too.

Quite generous and powerful, lots of depth and power, and loads of silky tannins here. Broad but still with that nice phenolic reduction, and plenty of finesse. Long and pure but ample too. With time will be very impressive indeed. 35% oak - approaching Grands Crus.

Half a hectare of 55 year old vines. Very open on the nose, intense fresh peaches and plenty of orange flower water. Delicacy and lovely phenolics on the palate, there’s grip and also a fine thread of acidity, and good reduction. Very saline on the finish, and very nice length. Finessed and long. Gourmand.

The Montmains is aged in oak (none new), and in 2018 it wears its élevage incredibly lightly. A generous apple scent on the nose is followed by a crystalline length on the palate, where citrus pulp and chalky salinity entwine. It is the most forward of Jean-Claude’s premiers crus, and always a transparent window on to the vintage. It should drink well from early on, with its intricate balance between ample fruit and agile freshness. It finishes with a mouthwatering savoury freshness, making you want to go back for more.

This is so much more than its village level suggests. It comes from vines with an average age of 40 years+ planted on the slopes facing Fourchaume. In 2019 Jean-Claude grubbed up 1.40 hectares of the Vieilles Vignes, reducing the volume by a third, so this is the last time we will see the cuvée in this volume for some years to come. It is fresh, citrus, and elegant, but also has that depth of oyster shell brine so typical of Chablis. An outstanding example of the appellation.

With two hectares of vines in this grand cru, it’s no wonder Jean-Claude and Romain’s iteration is one of the best you can find. The oldest vines here were planted in 1947, and their concentration and persistence is seamlessly integrated with the 10% new oak. The grand cru’s weight of ripe fruit is upfront, and the zipping thread of acidity that gives the wine its sinuous backbone are the mark of expert vignerons, who have captured the fine moment of balance in maturity. A stunning wine.