Chardonnay Wines

wines

The 2019 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru has an expressive nose of crushed stone, mirabelle and light honeysuckle aromas, one of the classiest from Brocard in 2019. The palate is fresh and saline on the entry, with driving acidity, superb tension and a judicious kiss of salinity on the racy finish. A great Chablis from Brocard. Recommended.Vinous Media | 94 VMMossiness accompanies pear and lemon notes on this wine’s nose along with a lift of dried hayflower. The palate adds ripe roundness and intense, multidimensional creaminess that takes in yeast, smokiness and chalkiness alongside the intense lemon. Drink 2022–2040.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE(Maison Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis "Vaulorent" 1er Cru White) This is aromatically similar to the Fourchaume with its softly honied and exotic aromas that are ripe but fresh while exhibiting good Chablis typicity. There is fine volume to the punchy and tautly muscular flavors that possess a borderline tannic mouthfeel that carries over to the markedly dry finale. Solid quality here that is marked by the vintage but not excessively so. (Drink starting 2025).Burghound | 91 BH

The 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre unwinds to reveal aromas of citrus oil, warm pastry, crisp green orchard fruit and vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and precise, it’s lively and mineral, concluding with a saline finish. Tightly wound and gently patinated by its élevage, this will develop well with time in bottle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPThe 2019 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru, from vines on white and blue clay, has a backward nose that mixes struck flint with Granny Smith apples, suggesting old-school Chablis. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity and beautifully composed, maybe the most harmonious of Droin’s Premier Crus. A little spiciness manifests on the finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 93 VM(Domaine Jean-Paul et Benoit Droin Chablis "Montée de Tonnerre" 1er Cru White) An equally pure and elegant nose is quite different as here there is much more smoky reduction to the citrus-inflected pear and shellfish scents. The rich yet nicely restrained medium weight flavors brim with minerality and excellent detail, all wrapped in a slightly more complex finish. This is only a touch better than the Vaulorent but overall, it’s just a bit more complete. (Drink starting 2025)Burghound | 93 BH

Old vines grown on a warm, exposed slope (important in Chablis) give this wine its richness and textured concentration. Ripe apple and tangy lime flavors complement a tight edge that will soften as the wine matures. Drink from 2023. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEDomaine Laroche traces its beginnings back to AD867. This high-quality example of Premier Cru Chablis Vieilles Vignes shows purity of fruit, density of flavour and some subtle, judicious, oak maturation adding some extra layers of complexity. With a mineral aftertaste, this also has intriguing hints of honey and lemon curd on the nose and palate. Drinking Window 2022 - 2028.Decanter | 93 DECThe 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaillons Vieilles Vignes unwinds in the glass with aromas of green orchard fruit, pastry cream, fresh bread and light reduction. Medium to full-bodied, ample and saline, it’s bright and chiseled, with a classically Chablisien tang.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Chablis Les Vaillons Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru has a crisp nose of Granny Smith apples, freshly sliced Nashi pear, wild fennel, green olives and touches of crushed limestone. The palate is fresh and crisp on the entry, demonstrating admirable weight. A little viscosity toward the finish betrays the warmth of the summer, yet the acidity keeps it fresh and tensile. Delicious.Vinous Media | 91 VMAn inflection of green herbs and green fruit marks this round, lively white, with apple, yellow plum and earth notes completing the profile. Excellent length. Drink now through 2025. 1,500 cases made, 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

The Boudriotte blanc is produced from the climat Les Fairendes, located reasonably high on the slope, reaching almost to Les Ruchottes. This superb terroir for white wine has provided in 2018 a result that seamlessly melds citrus, mineral, and ripe apple aromas and balances them with surprisingly fresh acidity, a lovely depth of flavour on the palate, and impressive weight and length. Drinking Window 2021 - 2041.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Boudriotte is showing beautifully, unfurling in the glass with notes of toasted bread, pear, waxy citrus rind, smoke and popcorn. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and elegantly fleshy, it's seamless and elegant, with fine depth at the core and a long, delicately nutty finish. Already approachable, this will offer a broad drinking window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPA mild touch of reduction is sufficiently subtle to permit the notes of white flowers, citrus rind and discreet wood to be discerned. There is an attractive sense of underlying tension to the delicious medium weight flavors that possess focused power and good delineation on the lingering finish that flirts with rusticity. This well-made effort needs to develop more depth but it appears to have the requisite density to do so. (Drink starting 2028)Burghound | 91 BHA grassy, herbal note makes this white distinctive, adding to the lemon and apple fruit. It finds more focus in the end, leaving a butterscotch- and pastry-tinged finish. Drink now through 2024. 60 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Crystal clear like a mountain stream, a light oak influence adds a note of lanolin to the apple, melon and lemon fruit. Turns more sleek and defined on the long, mineral- and herb-tinged aftertaste. Drink now through 2027. 269 cases made, 64 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2019 Chablis Les Séchets 1er Cru comes from vines located just above Vincent Dauvissat’s. The well-defined bouquet features honeysuckle and subtle white flower aromas. The palate is where the action is: it delivers vibrant citrus fruit, orange zest and light ginger notes. Lovely depth on the finish. This is an excellent Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet is taut and chiseled, unwinding in the glass to reveal aromas of citrus oil, white flowers, beeswax and crushed chalk. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and incisive, it will require and reward a bit of bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

The 2018 Chablis Vau de Vey was cropped at 58hl/ha and matured in 50% barrels and 50% stainless steel for 12 months. It has a clean, pure bouquet of yellow plum, orange pith and light crushed stone notes. The palate conveys energy right from the start, revealing hints of blood orange and quince, racy acidity and an elegant, very persistent finish that lingers in the mouth. Superb.Vinous Media | 94 VMA lovely, slightly reductive note of smoke swathes green pear notes on the nose of this wine. The palate adds lemony juiciness to sonorous notes of smoky oak that surround lively Mirabelle fruit. On the finish, bright lemon adds poise, elegance and length.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

This white is lean, sporting lemon, green plum, chamomile and lanolin aromas and flavors. A spine of vivid acidity keeps it focused and long, while the balance and harmony bode well for the future. Shows excellent length. Drink now through 2027. 263 cases made, 93 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Les Minots is lovely, wafting from the glass with notes of clear honey, citrus oil, white flowers and oatmeal. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and succulent, it’s bright and charming, concluding with a long, mineral finish. As I’ve written before, this hails from one of the sunnier, warmer lieux-dits within the larger climat of Les Vaillons, and it typically produces a more generous, gourmand wine; it’s also often where Piuze begins his harvest.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2019 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru "Les Minots" has a pretty beeswax and gravel bouquet. The palate is concentrated with fine depth and a touch of viscosity.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Pops of hazelnut and cream lend richness to this ripe, lusciously textured Chablis. Bright lemon and yellow-apple flavors on the palate maintain the appellation’s characteristic steeliness and nerve but this mouthfilling Chardonnay is welcoming young and likely to drink well through 2035.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2019 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has a taut, crisp, energetic bouquet that displays fine delineation and plenty of mineralité. The fresh, vibrant palate delivers crisp acidity and lemon zest, orange peel and subtle apricot notes, maintaining superb precision and poise through to the satisfyingly persistent finish. Superb!Vinous Media | 93 VMA ripe version, with apple and melon flavors holding court and a hint of pineapple. The acidity amps up on the mouthwatering finish, where a vein of mineral shines through. Drink now through 2026. 215 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2018 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru shows a little more definition and terroir expression compared directly with the Montée de Tonnerre. Lemon peel, touches of crushed stone and dried flowers almost reluctantly emerge with aeration. The palate is powerful and expressive, with a honeyed texture...Vinous Media | 92 VMThis is also quite cool with its restrained, airy and more elegant nose that features notes of mineral reduction, oyster shell and white flowers. The racy and beautifully well-delineated middle weight flavors deliver excellent persistence on the clean, notably dry and bracing finale where a hint of bitter lemon appears.Burghound | 90-92 BHThis has attractive peach and peach-kernel aromas with hints of flint and almond pastry. The palate has a very fleshy and succulent feel with apricot, mango and yellow-peach flavors. A steely-mineral spark below. Drink on release.James Suckling | 91-92 JS

A stunning example, with finesse allied to power. Real tension and energy here. Will be approachable quite young, but really should be aged for over five years for the best result. Fèvre has 2.24ha within Montée de Tonnerre. Plots are located in Pied d’Aloup (facing east) with profound Kimmeridgian soils bringing freshness, Chapelot facing south on deep soil adding richness, and Côte de Brechain facing west on top of the hill with the oldest plots dating back to 1936.Decanter | 95 DECFrom multiple plots: east facing kimmeridgian marl in Pied d’Aloue (0.50ha), one hectare in Chapelot, (more soil here, fatter wine), then the rest in Bréchain, where vines dating back to 1936, give tension. What a beautiful bouquet. This has the sensual aspect of a delightful sunny summer, yet with an entrancing freshness behind. This is quintessential right bank, yet with balance Drink from 2027-2037. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JMAn elegant, pure and wonderfully airy nose more freely reflects its aromas of white flowers, prominent mineral reduction and plenty of seashore elements. There is at once more volume but, somewhat surprisingly, even better refinement to the medium weight plus flavors that retain excellent detail while also flashing an almost pungent stoniness on the driving, firm and impeccably well-balanced finale. One to look for as this is very impressive.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2022 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru is more reticent on the nose and perhaps doesn’t quite engage as the 2021 did last year. A bit bashful at the moment. The palate is well-balanced with a saline entry, though it feels strict and contained, without the flair demonstrated by the Les Lys at the moment. Has this got something up its sleeve? It’s a bit too austere and reticent for my liking.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

Fèvre has 3.65ha of Vaulorent. Situated on the grand cru hill rather than the Fourchaume slope, the soils here are characterised by lots of Kimmeridgian marl. Tight and tense, lots of energy here, powerful and precise and compensates with concentration and density more akin to Chablis Grand Cru. GIve this five years and it will be stunning.Decanter | 96 DECSome of the Vaulorent may be taken out to make a separate Fourchaumes bottling, that decision has not yet been made. More lime than lemon in colour, the nose is so stylish yet with obvious concentration beneath. I love the texture of this wine, which has taken on a little bit of the cashmere qualities of this sector, while nonetheless retaining its mineral core. Very stylish once again. Drink from 2027-2037. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JMThe 2022 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru has another tightly wound nose like the Montée de Tonnerre, a subtle marine element emerging with time, a touch of wild fennel. The palate has much more body and depth than the aforementioned Premier Cru, with good density, a crisp line of acidity and a welcome touch of spice enhancing the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMSlightly more evident wood influence can be found on the less elegant but beautifully layered nose of citrus confit, acacia blossom and wet stone scents. The rich, very generous and solidly powerful larger-bodied flavors are not quite as mineral-driven though they are even more concentrated, all wrapped in a beautifully balanced, long and complex finale. This is also impressive even though I have a slight preference for the MdT at this early stage.Burghound | 91-94 BH

The 2021 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau comprises just five used barrels this year. The fine bouquet is a little more mineral-driven than the regular cuvée with touches of wet pavement and citrus lemon. The palate is well-balanced, fresh and taut, with a fine bead of acidity, growing a little more compact towards the finish but with slightly more salinity to get the tastebuds going. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92 VMHere too there is a vaguely exotic note to the pretty and very floral aromas of spice, pear, apple and quinine that are trimmed in subtle wood. The old vines are very much in evidence on the concentrated, palate coating and rich bigger-bodied flavors that possess focused power on the saline and intensely bitter zest-suffused finish. This should be excellent in time.Burghound | 92 BHThis white packs a mix of peach, melon, lime and pastry flavors, which pick up light smoke and mineral accents as this builds to the finish. Firm, crisp and long. Drink now through 2026. 20 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WSThis and the Grands Crus were made entirely in wood so as to keep the existing stock of barrels full of wine. Pale yellow, with a little butteriness from the wood. This slightly dominates the palate with a note of acidity to finish. Will sort itself out in due course. Drink from 2025-2028. Tasted: June 2022.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JM

The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru has a clean, precise bouquet with apple blossom, white peach, crushed stone and wet pavement scents, beautifully proportioned and focused. The palate is well balanced, certainly one of the more powerful Premier Crus with outstanding length on the finish thanks to its spicy, stem ginger touch. Outstanding.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMFirm reduction completely overshadows the fruit. Otherwise, there is excellent volume to the seductively textured medium weight flavors that exude plenty of minerality that adds lift to the succulent, balanced and gorgeously persistent bitter lemon-tinged finish that goes on and on. This isn’t quite as concentrated as the Folatières but it’s finer and stunningly long. This may not be the best Sauzet Combettes ever but in time, it should be in the conversation, it’s that good.Burghound | 93-95 BHHappily, there is much more 2021 Combettes chez Sauzet than the En Richard, and the wine is every bit as beautiful. The bouquet jumps from the glass in a crystal clear blend of fresh lemon, apple, lime, a complex base of minerality, white flowers, citrus zest, vanillin oak and a lovely topnote of candied lemon. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, deep and pure, with great mineral undertow, snappy acids and laser-like focus on the long, complex and electric finish. Stunning juice. (Drink between 2027 - 2060)John Gilman | 94+ JGThe 2021 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes is another one of the high points chez Sauzet this year, offering up aromas of confit citrus, beeswax, crisp stone fruit, white flowers and hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it’s taut and structured, with good depth at the core and chalky dry extract.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPThe Sauzet team run the vineyards then purchase the grapes. Pretty and lively colour with a fine floral bouquet, a touch of spring flowers. Punchy in a good way, lemon and lime flavours but with adequate ripeness, leaves an attractive tingle on the tongue and medium plus length. Drink from 2026-2030. Tasted: October 2022.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JM

There is just a single 350-liter barrel of the 2021 Puligny-Montrachet les Folatières En la Richards 1er Cru this year. Striking petrichor scents on the nose, this has a stately personality, beautifully focused. The palate is very well balanced with a silver bead of acidity, just the right amount of bitterness with quite a penetrating finish. Will need careful partnering but its oyster shell tinged finish suggests it will go perfectly with fruits de mers.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMAn elegant, pure and cool nose of white flower, mineral reduction and citrus is trimmed in just enough wood to notice. There is a lovely stoniness adding lift to the concentrated middleweight flavors that possess a racy, saline and well-balanced finish. This is also very pretty and most impressive and the only potential nit is that it needs to add depth, though that should occur as the Sauzet Folatières has an excellent track record. Burghound | 92-94 BHThere is virtually no En Richard this year, as the total production after the frost damage was a scant three hundred and fifty liters! That will be less than five hundred bottles. The wine itself is superb, delivering a complex nose of lemon, apple, fresh pineapple, chalky minerality, white lilies, orange zest and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and shows off beautiful mid-palate depth, with fine mineral drive and grip, impeccable balance and a long, complex and classy finish. A beautiful wine in painfully tiny quantities. (Drink between 2026 - 2055)John Gilman | 94 JGA gorgeous clear pale yellow. The bouquet has class and tension as well. A little youthful bitterness, this is a structured Puligny with backbone and medium plus length. Not quite the charm of Champ Canet but very good nonetheless. Energy at the finish. Just a single cask of 350 litres made. Drink from 2027-2032. Tasted: October 2022.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JMAromas of orange oil, freshly baked bread, nutmeg and white flowers introduce the 2021 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières En la Richarde, a medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny wine with lively acids and a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

Firm reduction renders the nose unreadable at present. More interesting are the intense and beautifully textured medium weight flavors that also brim with minerality and ample amount of dry extract that buffers the firm acid spine supporting the unusually powerful, serious, compact and stunningly long finish. This is also like rolling small rocks around the mouth and is a wine that should amply repay a decade or more of keeping.Burghound | 91-94 BH The blended premier cru bottling of Terroir de Blagny is really good in 2021, but this is a structured wine that will need time in the cellar to unfurl. The bouquet is deep and youthful, offering up scents of tart orange, fresh pineapple, chalky soil elements, vanillin oak and a striking topnote of lemon blossoms. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and racy, with a superb core of fruit, impressive cut and grip, fine focus and a long, nascently complex and well balanced finish. (Drink between 2026 - 2055)John Gilman | 93 JGThere was just enough wine to fill one 350 litre and one 228 litre barrel, even with the three vineyards of Truffière, Hameau de Blagny and Champ Gain blended together. A vibrant fresh primrose colour, with plenty of energy to the nose as well. Fresh plums with citrus notes, a good density of fruit, some length behind. Still shows the hillside character. Savoury notes at the finish. Drink from 2026-2030. Tasted: October 2022.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JMThe 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Terroir de Blagny 1er Cru is a blend of Hameau de Blagny, Champs Gain and Truffières that together amounted to 600 liters. It has an attractive nose of apple blossom, dewy meadow, wet limestone and citrus peel that unfolds in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with quite a sharp, citric entry. Vibrant and lively, though maybe not as complex as some of Sauzet’s best cuvées this year. But what else can you do with such miniscule volumes?Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

The Champ Canet has not quite fallen clear yet. However, the bouquet is stunning! And keeps changing. The immediate fruit now adds a little toasty note, plus the additional depth and complexity of having been kept on more lees. The fruit ripened nicely, with a touch of honeysuckle but it is a minority component, with ripe citrus taking the lead. A fascinating, complex finish. Drink from 2028-2037. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 94-96 JMThe 2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ Canet is excellent, mingling aromas of lemon oil, citrus confit, white flowers, freshly baked bread and mandarin, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless palate that’s concentrated and structured, concluding with a long, nutmeg-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThe 2022 Puligny-Montrachet Champ Canet 1er Cru felt much more closed when I tasted it at the Domaine, introverted with dewy meadow scents. The palate is well-balanced, but it doesn’t quite convey the mineralité and tension of its fellow Premier Crus at the moment. Does it have more to give? I remain cautious for now.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

Lemon and lime in colour, a little softer than the Garenne in the bouquet. This is quite complete with a lifted energy to it, very long, not trying to be fuller bodied that it can be, the citrus note has both a light lime note as well as some lemon, while pure orchard fruit forms the back bone. Very old vines which yield little. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JMThe 2022 Puligny-Montrachet Hameau de Blagny 1er Cru has a complex bouquet that takes time to open in the glass: touches of wet pavement, Granny Smith apples and hints of fennel in the background. The palate is well-balanced, tensile and linear with a taut bead of acidity; this delivers an almost minimalist finish that is very Blagny in style. Good salinity and length. Very fine.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMOffering up notes of flowers, pear, freshly baked bread and hazelnuts, Sauzet’s 2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Hameau de Blagny is medium-bodied, bright and lively, with tangy acids and chalky grip on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP

The 2022 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru has a clean, precise bouquet with wet limestone, Granny Smith apples, menthol and light sea spray scents that could only originate from this appellation. The palate is very well-balanced, one of the most powerful of Sauzet’s Premier Crus. It possesses perhaps its spiciest and most texturally satisfying finishes that lingers long in the mouth. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMAnother beautiful bouquet after an elegant colour. This keeps building, and seems to have rediscovered the magic of Combettes which I thought was lost in the hottest years. There is a fulsome weight of white fruit, while retaining energy. Just enough acidity, with ripe apples at the finish. Drink from 2027-2036. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JMThe 2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes is terrific, offering up aromas of pear, citrus zest, white flowers, toasted nuts and fresh mint, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered palate that’s dense and structured, with racy acids and chalky grip. I suspect it may surpass even the excellent 2020 version.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RP

The 2022 Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru has a discrete nose that gradually reveals one of Droin’s more floral bouquets this year. The well-balanced palate has a slightly richer, nuttier opening and good depth, tensile with a subtle reduction on the persistent finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMA very elegant example of Fourchaume. A fine, all round package with depth and weight of fruit. Enough acidity to balance. Would drink this earlier than some, as it has a very generous fruit character. Droin’s vines are planted in the Vaupulent climat.Decanter | 92 DECModerate wood surrounds the ripe and more floral-inflected nose of essence of pear, mineral reduction and a similar very vague hint of the exotic. The wood can also be found on the palate of the rich and opulent yet solidly punchy medium-bodied flavors that exhibit fine depth and persistence though. With that said, and as good as this certainly is, it isn’t a match for the Mont de Milieu.Burghound | 90-92 BH

The 2022 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru offers scents of grapefruit and orange rind on the nose, less flamboyant than the Vaillons, yet showing impressive delineation already. The palate is well-balanced, with a tangy opening and hints of marmalade infusing the citrus fruit with an almost steely finish. This will need time in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMAlthough these a rich, deep soils, Droin says they retain a lot of seashell character. Lively and fresh on the palate, you can feel the cool terroir combined with warm, ripe fruit. Very classy and will age beautifully. Benoit Droin explains that it is the argile-bleu (blue clay) found here which adds extra volume.Decanter | 93 DECProminent notes of mineral reduction and just picked white flowers suffuse the aromas of tidal pool, algae and zest. The rich but vibrant medium weight flavors possess even more obvious minerality that seems to become more obvious on the cool, firm and delineated finish that is clean, dry, citrusy and sneaky long. Lovely.Burghound | 90-93 BH

The 2022 Chablis Vosgros 1er Cru, which is already in bottle, has a harmonious bouquet with fleeting lime, wet stone and a touch of citrus peel. Nicely detailed. The palate is sapid on the entry, with plenty of oyster shell/marine notes and a classically styled, almost "mean" finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92 VMDroin explains that although Vosgros is technically a left bank premier cru, it faces the same way as the top right bank climats. Although with a direct southwesterly exposition, the vines are located in a very cold valley. More restraint here, good density, but a little less of a mineral thread.Decanter | 91 DEC

The 2020 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru is another precise, steely classic Chablis from Benoît Droin. The palate is beautifully balanced and poised, showing good concentration and wonderful cohesion and salinity toward the finish. I cannot wait to taste the final version.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMUnwinding in the glass with aromas of green apple, white flowers, mint and bee pollen, the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains is medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with a textural attack and a long, saline finish. From a site characterized by white marls, it has performed well in this sunny vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPPale light colour with a juicy fruit nose, a wealth of joyous white fruit, very lightly peachy, not reductive this year. Benoît thinks will tighten up and refine its toastier character Jasper Morris | 90-92 JMn initial touch of reduction slowly gives way to very pretty and quite cool aromas timidly offer up notes of lemon-lime, white-fleshed fruit, sea breeze and a touch of algae character. There is good vibrancy and detail to the delicious and appealingly textured flavors that possess fine depth on the balanced finish that exhibits a touch of wood as it sits on the palate.Burghound | 91 BH

The deeper clays of this site tend to do well in warmer years, and the 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux is no exception, offering up aromas of dried white flowers, peach, citrus oil and freshly baked bread, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and fleshy palate that retains good cut and tension in this warm vintage, concluding with a mouthwateringly saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP