Chardonnay Wines

wines

This is generally the richest, most fruit-driven grand cru bottling chez Fèvre, but the 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros is a wine of particular distinction. Exhibiting aromas of peach, citrus blossom, bee pollen and oyster shell, it’s a medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered wine that’s ample but elegant, with racy acids and a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2020 Chablis Bougros Grand Cru comes from six hectares of vines, southwest- and south-facing, forming the two different cuvées. The bouquet unfolds to offer lovely yellow fruit and oyster leaf aromas, well defined and quite generous. The palate is taut and crisp with fine acidity and moderate depth, but very pretty and composed toward the saline finish. There is plenty of substance already in situ and I foresee this aging with class.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMThis is restrained to the point of being all but aromatically mute though aggressive swirling eventually coaxes notes of green fruit, citrus peel and oyster shell nuances to reveal themselves. There is both excellent volume and concentration to the big-bodied, powerful and imposing flavors that are focused, structured and youthfully austere. This is very much a work in progress, and I would advise allowing this at least 5 years of cellaring and it should easily reward a decade or more.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2020 Chablis “Bougros” from Domaine William Fèvre is a beautiful wine, and as is often the case in the lineup here, this is the most forward of the grand crus and the one I would reach to first if I had a desire to drink a delicious, younger grand cru. The bouquet is just loaded with beautifully pure fruit tones, with scents of pear, lime and green apple blending with notes of chalky soil tones, dried flowers and citrus peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and long, with a gorgeous core of fruit, fine chalky undertow, bright, zesty acids and great focus and grip on the long, complex finish. This still deserves some bottle age, but it will not be a crime to let your curiosity get the best of you and open a bottle of this lovely wine four or five years down the road! (Drink between 2026 - 2065)John Gilman | 94 JGFrom 4ha of vineyards, this is an easy introduction to the Bougros Grand Cru. Acidity is well in check and the wine is generous, with 25% older wood used for maturation. Very nice weight and purity, minerality and an extra layer of richness compared to the premier cru. Higher yields here than Fèvre’s other grands crus, except Les Clos.Decanter | 93 DECA ripe, round style, featuring peach, apple and citrus flavors accented by grassy meadow and finger lime, with a stony note seeping in on the lingering finish. Best from 2024 through 2036.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2022 Chablis Village has a crisp, focused bouquet with hints of pressed white flowers and wet stone. The elegant palate has flecks of white peach and apricot, balanced and lovely with a charming, precise finish. This is very capable and should age well in bottle.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

The 2022 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru Hommage à Louis has quite a malic, green apple and Anjou pear-scented nose that unfurls beautifully in the glass. The palate is taut and linear, with moderate depth, clamming up slightly towards the finish compared with the Grenouilles or Valmur.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2022 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru is very fragrant on the nose with white peach, white chocolate and hints of wet stone scents, like a Vaillons-plus. The palate is well-defined, taut and fresh, with crisp acidity and good depth, but it starts to clam up towards the finish. Patience will be required, but there is no doubting the caliber of this Grand Cru.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

The 2022 Chablis Mont de Milieu 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet, and the 25% older oak utilized during its élevage is seamlessly integrated. The palate is taut and citrus from the off, quite saline, with grapefruit and melon hints surfacing towards the persistent finish. It coheres very nicely in the glass and has great potential. One of the best examples from this noble vineyard.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

The 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet is brilliant, mingling aromas of crisp green apple and lemon oil with notions of oyster shell, freshly baked bread, white flowers and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, it’s racy and tensile, with tangy acids and a long, searingly mineral finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPPure, poised and dry with delightful nuance. This is a classic Séchet with a superb aftertaste, so much fruit to cover the dry bones typical of this vineyard – and indeed implied by its name. The 2020 is immaculately balanced pure and subtly nuanced. It may easily close down for a few years after bottling, so do not be afraid to keep it back. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted: June 2022.Jasper Morris | 94 JMThe 2020 Chablis Les Séchets 1er Cru is very pure on the nose, though not quite as mineral-driven as the 2019, that I tasted last year (also from barrel). But the aromatics are very elegant. Ditto the palate, which delivers fine acidity, impressive concentration, white peach and dried mango flavors and plenty of spice toward the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMThe 2020 Chablis “Séchet” from Vincent Dauvissat is very refined this year, showing the classical proportions of the vintage to very fine effect. It delivers an aromatic constellation of green apple, lemon, a beautiful base of chalky soil and oyster shell, spring flowers and a lovely topnote of beeswax. Pure, full and racy on the palate, the Séchet shows off exemplary depth at the core, excellent focus and cut and an impeccably balanced, but still quite closed personality on the long finish. This is going to be an outstanding bottle, but it will demand just a bit of patience to allow it to properly blossom. (Drink between 2026 - 2060)John Gilman | 93 JGMore elegant and airier aromas include those of citrus blossom, algae, iodine and a touch of green apple. The detailed and very intense medium-bodied flavors flash both good minerality and salinity on the balanced bitter lemon-inflected finale. This promising if decidedly firm effort is firm enough to reward up to a decade of cellaring.Burghound | 92 BH

As is almost invariably the case, Dauvissat’s 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons is sensual and perfumed, wafting from the glass with aromas of orange oil, peach, jasmine and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it’s vibrant and fleshy, with an ample core of fruit, racy acids and a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2020 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru is more floral on the nose compared to the preceding Les Séchets. White flowers, dandelion and touches of orange zest develop in the glass, precise and finessed. The palate is structured with good grip and a slightly waxy texture, building beautifully toward a very persistent finish. Give this 2–3 years in bottle (at least).Vinous Media | 91-93 VM(Chablis “Vaillons”- Domaine Vincent Dauvissat) The 2020 Vaillons from Monsieur Dauvissat is just as beautifully structured out of the blocks as the Séchet, sharing that same classical sense of balance and reserve, so it too will deserve just a few years of hibernation in the cellar before starting to drink with generosity. But, the potential here is enormous, as the wine offers up a fine bouquet of apple, pear, chalky minerality, white lilies, citrus peel and just a touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, precise and full, with a rock solid core, beautiful acidity and mineral drive, impeccable balance and a long, focused and nascently complex finish. (Drink between 2026-2060)John Gilman | 93+ JG

Patrick joked that “I should have served the Blanchots in front of the Quatre Chemin”, meaning no disrespect to the excellent Blanchots in the cellar, but underscoring just how special the new bottling from Vaulorent is this year. But, the 2020 Blanchots needs no apology, as the wine is lovely, offering up a deep and complex nose of apple, pear, orange peel, a fine base of limestone minerality, white flowers, paraffin and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and cock solid at the core, with fine complexity and cut, impeccable balance and a long, classic finish. The wine is already very refined on the attack, but still fairly closed on the backend and will demand a good decade in the cellar to truly hit on all cylinders. Fine wine. (Drink between 2030 - 2080)John Gilman | 95 JGOffering up aromas of orange oil, confit lemon and peach mingled with notions of nutmeg, freshly baked bread and iodine, Piuze’s 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots is full-bodied, concentrated and enveloping, with a satiny attack that segues into a layered mid-palate girdled by racy acids, concluding with a long, expansive finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPMore elegant aromas are comprised by mineral reduction, cool floral, white orchard fruit, quinine and saltwater. The delicious middle weight flavors somewhat surprisingly possess better volume if less power on the sappy, lingering and well-balanced finale. The intrinsic class of a fine Blanchots is on display here.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2020 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru has a much more expressive nose than the Bougros at this stage, offering lifted lime flower and orange blossom scents, though perhaps there is less mineralité at the moment. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, showing just a little creaminess. Almond and chamomile notes appear toward the finish. Give this 3–4 years in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMOffers apple, yellow plum, flowers and a touch of vanilla packed into a sleek frame. Harmonious and lively, winding down gracefully with a hint of mineral. Drink now through 2025. 156 cases made, 43 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The 2020 les Clos from Domaine Piuze is simply stunning. The nose delivers a kaleidoscopic blend of lemon, tart orange, pear, oyster shell, limestone minerality, paraffin, white flowers and a touch of new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and again, shows stunning depth at the core, with great focus and grip, snappy acids, stunning backend mineral drive and a long, complex and perfectly balanced finish. Simply brilliant juice! (Drink between 2030 - 2080)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos is a deep and powerful wine, evocative of orange oil, ripe pear, white flowers, freshly baked bread and nutmeg. Full-bodied, layered and muscular, it’s broad-shouldered and concentrated, with lively acids and a long, mandarin-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPHere too there is a citrus confit character to the more floral suffused aromas of oyster shell, quinine and brine. There is again very good volume to the sappy and powerful larger-scaled flavors that terminate in a lemony, austere and highly persistent finish that isn’t quite as complex, at least not yet.Burghound | 91-94 BHThe 2020 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru is very reduced on the nose, although there seems to be good concentration here and Piuze commented that this is nothing unusual. The palate is well balanced, quite primal, rich and slightly honeyed, leading to a powerful finish where I am just seeking a little more delineation. Let’s see how this turns out in bottle.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMRich, featuring peach, melon, earth and stone flavors. Shows an underlying steeliness, despite the generous profile, with fine balance and length. Drink now through 2025. 94 cases made, 25 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2020 Chablis “les Séchets” from Domaine Piuze is a superb wine in the making. The bouquet is pure, focused and detailed, offering up scents of tart orange, lemon, pear, chalky minerality, citrus peel, vanillin oak and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with great cut and grip, impressive focus and a long, racy and complex finish up impressive structural integrity. A beautiful wine in the making. (Drink between 2026 - 2060)John Gilman | 94 JGThe 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet is a beauty, bursting with aromas of Meyer lemon, white flowers, crisp green apple, pastry cream and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with racy acids and chalky grip, it’s a long and penetrating wine that’s quintessentially Chablisien in profile.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2020 Chablis Les Séchets 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet, quite focused but a little tighter than the Les Roncières at the moment. The palate is vibrant on the entry thanks to a citric bead of acidity. Linear and quite strict for the vintage, this is perhaps one of Piuze’s most classically styled Chablis in 2020, and it should age well.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMOpen in feel, yet there’s an inner tension that emerges as this builds to a long, mouthwatering finish. Balanced and lengthy, featuring prevalent apple, lemon, herb and stone flavors. Drink now through 2026. 110 cases made, 34 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSRipe aromas display the hallmark ripe citrus confit notes of a fine Séchets along with notes of oyster shell, spice and cool white-fleshed fruit. The rich and relatively full-bodied flavors possess fine mid-palate density before terminating in a dry and exceptionally lemony finish that is presently tart and tightly wound. While I would expect that the intense citrus character would progressively diminish, it’s unlikely to be for everyone young.Burghound | 89-91 BH

The 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses is also rather rich and textural this year, mingling notes of sweet orchard fruit and confit orange with notions of toasted nuts and buttery pastry. Medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with lively acids and a saline finish, I’d expect this to take on more cut and tension by the time it’s bottled.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2022 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru has an elegant bouquet with apricot purée, yellow flowers and light Mirabelle aromas, with hints of crushed stone emerging with time. The palate is well-balanced, with a slightly viscous opening matched by a silver bead of acidity. The salinity comes through right on the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93 VMA restrained nose grudgingly offers up a blend of green fruit, citrus, iodine, shellfish and a hint of quinine. There is again fine volume to the beautifully texture and more refined medium-bodied flavors that exude evident minerality on the equally long if not quite as complex finale. Lovely and I very much like the balance that should permit it to age gracefully.Burghound | 93 BH

An elegant, pure and beautifully layered nose is comprised by notes of white orchard fruit, ocean breeze, quinine and a whiff of the exotic. There is really lovely intensity to the caressing but well-detailed middle weight flavors that conclude in a refreshing and inviting finish that evidences plenty of salinity. Beauroy is rarely this good so color me impressed.Burghound | 90-93 BHThe 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy is a charming, pretty wine, bursting with aromas of sweet white flowers, honeycomb, oyster shells and crisp stone fruit. Medium to full-bodied, ample and precise, with a satiny attack and a saline finish, it’s a particular success this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThere’s quite a bit of spice here although the palate is restrained and with good concentration. Less showy, a wine built for the long haul, this is classy and will age very well. From three parcels in Beauroy. No battonage, 25-30% in wood and 16-17 months maturation.Decanter | 92 DECThe 2020 Beauroy from Domaine Fèvre is a fine bottle in the making. This is a warmer microclimate and Didier noted that they picked this very early, “to keep the freshness in the wine.” The team has succeeded nicely in this, as the wine jumps from the glass in a lovely blend of lemon, pear, chalky soil tones, white flowers and a touch of upper register paraffin. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and nicely balanced, with a good core, lovely transparency and grip and a long, zesty and complex finish. Good juice. (Drink between 2026 - 2055)John Gilman | 92 JGPale lime colour. Some spice on the nose, just kept the tension going on the palate, an easy access Chablis 1er cru, well made, but as always I think you get more by trading up.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JM

The 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Sécher has turned out beautifully, mingling notions of orange oil and peach with hints of beeswax and rock salt. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with fine depth at the core, tangy acids and an intensely saline finish, it will require some time to unwind.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP

The one-hectare parcel that constitutes the 2021 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru yielded five barrels this year. This also has a heavy reduction and is quite yeasty at the moment. The palate is well balanced with a marine-influenced entry, flecks of white chocolate complementing the citrus fruit with a longer finish than the Blanchot. Fine sour lemon mixed with orange rind on the aftertaste. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

The 2020 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru is aged 75% in stainless steel and 25% in oak for nine months, followed by five months all in stainless steel. It has a relatively light bouquet, quite airy in style, gaining intensity with aeration, touches of white peach, smoke and granite. The palate is well balanced with a fine line of acidity, citrus fruit, orange rind and a touch of stem ginger towards the finish that fans out nicely. This meliorates with aeration and is worth decanting if you decide to crack open a bottle in its youth. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VMA deftly balanced white highlighted by apple, yellow plum, floral and stone aromas and flavors. Offers a rich and supple texture, making this almost seamless from start to the finish, where a stony element emerges. Drink now through 2028. 304 cases made, 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSModerate wood surrounds the overtly floral-suffused nose of softly exotic white peach, sea breeze and pretty spice whiffs. The succulent, round and plump flavors exude a refreshing salinity on the very dry and sneaky long finish. Like several wines in the range, this needs to develop more depth, but the underlying material appears to be present for that to occur.Burghound | 92 BHale to mid lemon yellow. Bouquet hidden at first, stones and light white fruit, more body behind, a little bit of oak. The oyster shells appear further back on the palate, elegance without heat.Jasper Morris | 92 JM

The 2020 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru delivers the intensity one seeks in this cru, offering scent of chalk dust, lemon thyme and light loamy aromas. It builds nicely in the glass. The palate is well-balanced with a fine thread of acidity, compact on the entry yet it fans out nicely whilst retaining admirable tension from start to finish. I would have just liked a little more residual spiciness, but this will do nicely. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VMA mellow white, with a light touch of vanilla and clove accenting peach, apple tart and honey flavors. Well-delineated and balanced, with honey, spice and mineral accents on the finish. Best from 2024 through 2030. 131 cases made, 70 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSDiscreet though certainly perceptible wood sets off the ripe aromas of citrus confit, spring flowers, iodine and shellfish. The mouthfeel of the medium weight plus flavors is nothing short of gorgeous as it’s at once caressing but punchy on the sappy and strikingly long finish. This too would benefit from having better depth, but the density of material is such that more will almost certainly develop if allowed a few years first.Burghound | 93 BH

The 2021 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru was taken from tank rather than barrel. This was primal on the nose and difficult to read. The palate is more expressive: finely tuned with a fine bead of acidity, tensile and saline, it does not possess the complexity of Raveneau’s Les Clos tasted an hour or two before, but it has great penetration and a compelling flinty finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMHere too the nose is presently dominated by reduction and wood toast. More interesting are the sleek, intense and ultra-fresh middleweight plus flavors that possess excellent size, richness and power where the latter suffuses the sappy, muscular and saliva-inducing, moderately dry and compact finale. This very promising effort is going to need at least a decade to realize its full potential. Impressive.Burghound | 92-95 BH

Fevre’s Montée de Tonnerre comes from all three sectors. Seguier notes that Pied d’Aloup has the highest marn content, Montée de Tonnerre adds weight and the old Chapelot vines (planted in 1936) add finesse. More closed on the nose. Weighty, concentrated, persistent. Saline notes. Will be a great gourmand wine. Some white flower notes, lots of zesty orange and grapefruit on the palate with a nice touch of white peach. For long ageing.Decanter | 94 DECA discreet dollop of wood sets off the equally cool and perhaps even slightly more elegant aromas of acacia, citrus, seashore and oyster shell. The sleek and highly sophisticated medium-bodied flavors possess a really lovely texture while delivering superb length on the bitter lemon and mineral-suffused finish. This beautifully balanced effort is crystalline in its purity and a wine that should repay a decade plus of keeping.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2021 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru comes from 2.2-hectares split over three climats with different orientations including the domaine’s oldest vines planted back in 1936. This has quite an aromatic bouquet with limestone, oyster shell and yellow plum aromas that blossom in the glass. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, harmonious with commendable weight matched with a countervailing saline element. Bright and sparky, enjoy this delicious Chablis over the next 15 years.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

TOP QUALITY PRODUCER Brocard’s 7 Lieux Grand Cru Preuses is a magnificent wine in the making. Although there is plenty of ripeness on display this regal grand cru is cool, crisp and supremely elegant. An aristocratic feel here, with great focus and lingering minerality to finish. From Domaine Brocard vines, all the components are in place to allow this to develop glacially for 15-20 years.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2021 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru is curiously just a little innocuous on the nose at the moment. I wonder if this might be going through a dumb phase? The palate is harmonious on the entry with orange peel and light peachy nose, slightly honeyed in texture, and it captures the spiciness that I seek from Les Preuses. Maybe not quite the length that you would obtain from a top vintage, but a finely made Chablis.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMThis is also quite aromatically elegant with its array of green fruit, cool citrus, wet stone and spice. The medium-weight flavors are at once seductive yet powerful with solid volume while coating the palate on the clean, dry and lingering finish that is borderline simple. This has the stuffing to age and improve up to a decade so more depth should reasonably develop if given a few years.Burghound | 90-92 BH

Droin owns 10ha of AP Chablis. Much more interest here with a deeper hue in the glass and much more interest on the nose. Some greengage on the palate, together with a hint of pear and white peach. Pretty much a benchmark example of what village Chablis should be. Concentration and a lengthy mineral character to finish.Decanter | 92 DECThis is aromatically similar to the Petit Chablis though with more citrus elements in evidence. There is again good richness to the succulent and rounded medium-weight flavors that also exude a refreshing salinity on the clean, moderately dry and sneaky long finish that is slightly firmer.Burghound | 88-91 BHThe 2021 Chablis Village has a fresh nose with Granny Smith apples and a touch of fresh pear. With good balance and acidity, the palate is quite saline in the mouth with veins of orchard fruit, hints of wild peach and citrus peel, delicate and refined on the finish.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

The 2021 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru offers more intensity and precision than the Vaudésir, the wood giving weight but beautifully assimilated, shucked oyster shells emerging. The palate is well balanced with a slightly honeyed opening, notes of lemon curd and orange pith, building nicely in the mouth towards a suave and lightly spiced finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMOnce again moderate wood is present on the spicy aromas of green fruit and oyster shell-inflected nose. The rich, powerful and broad-shouldered flavors possess a borderline creamy mid-palate texture while exhibiting outstanding length on the sappy and saline finish. Very promising.Burghound | 92-94 BHFrom a site of just over 1ha, Valmur is a colder site giving, as Dron says, a more masculine. Cool, closed on the nose, this will need a lot of time to open up. Oak is a little more apparent here, with very precise acidity. Very linear at the minute, a grand cru with a nose of white flowers, and a palate of great purity. This will need three to four years to open and will be hitting its stride in seven to eight.Decanter | 93 DEC

Here too moderate wood sets off the overtly spicy and ripe aromas of white and yellow peach, iodine and hints of seashore. The sleek, delicious and intense flavors are just a bit more refined, indeed they are almost delicate, while still delivering excellent length on the citrus-tinged finish where a bit of wood slowly emerges.Burghound | 91-94 BHThe 2021 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru has a taut and fresh bouquet, wonderful mineralité with a hint of smoke and flint coming through. The palate is well balanced with a saline note, fine depth, lemon and a little more lime. Builds nicely in the mouth, a lovely Vaudésir.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMDroin’s Vaudésir comes from just over 1ha with vines planted on both north- and south-facing slopes. A little subdued on the nose and palate, this is a subtle grand cru with plenty of definition, and will blossom with two to three years additional bottle age. No oak.Decanter | 92 DEC

Droin’s vines have an average age of 50 years with 1.75ha on Kimmeridgian marl with some blue-clay (Marne-bleu). As expected from Montée de Tonnerre, this has more power on the palate but also displays a remarkable balance between weight and elegance - ’complet’ as Benoit Droin says. It would be a shame to drink this before 2-3 years and it will keep a very long time. Finishes with a vibrant hit spicy zesty fruit.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2021 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has perhaps the most austere bouquet amongst Droin’s Premier Crus, though it is very defined with subtle struck flint notes coming through. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh, superb acidity with real weight and concentration on the finish. Another superb wine from Droin this year.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMModerately generous wood stops short of fighting with the ripe white orchard fruit, wet stone and spice that also display just enough Chablis typicity to be interesting. A highly sophisticated mouthfeel suffuses the solidly dense middleweight flavors where an almost pungent minerality adds a sense of lift to the attractively dry and sneaky long finale. This beauty is a combination of power and refinement that should age effortlessly.Burghound | 91-94 BH

Droin’s Montmains site is on a gentle slope with richer, deeper, kimmeridgian marl soils. A colder site, making the wine richer and with great density on the palate. Distinctly more weight than the Vaillons, giving the blend plenty of gravitas. 8-10 months ageing on fine lees adds a creamy character with acidity less pronounced than with the Vaillons. Classy.Decanter | 92 DECAn even more floral-suffused nose speaks of the pretty essence of pear and apple while offering better overall typicity. The palate impression of the middleweight flavors is also plump, round and fleshy with its reasonably persistent, dry and balanced finale that also could use better depth. This attractive effort should be approachable young yet also reward 4 to 7 years of keeping.Burghound | 89-92 BHThe 2021 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru has a classic Chablis-like bouquet with scents of shucked oyster shell and light fumé notes emerging from the glass. The palate is well balanced with a saline, lemon rind infused entry, moderate weight, perhaps not quite as precise as the Vaillons yet with satisfying persistence. Fine.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

The 2021 Chablis Vosgros 1er Cru has quite a lot of reduction on the nose compared to the Village Cru. The palate is much more expressive, very harmonious and citrus-fresh, lime and orange rind, fine weight with a very smooth and satisfying finish. Don’t miss out on this delightful Vosgros - fresh and rich, as Benoît Droin mentions.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMVosgros is sometimes described as a ’left-bank’ premier cru with ’right-bank’ exposure. It is a valley which is very cold but has a sunny westerly exposition. Closed and precise at the moment, this spend 8-10 months on lees giving the wine a creamy yet elegant texture. A very classy premier cru, this will need several years to fully blossom.Decanter | 92 DECLike the Petit Chablis, moderate amounts of classic Chablis typicity are present on the lemon rind, white orchard fruit and petrol-scented nose. There is very good volume and punch to the delicious medium-bodied flavors that possess good muscle on the clean, dry and slightly austere finale that is supported by citrus-tinged acidity.Burghound | 90-92 BH