Refreshing Whites

wines

The 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux Vieilles Vignes will be bottled later than usual, as Michel was still waiting on the delivery of glass bottles when I visited—but extra time on the fine lees certainly won’t do it any harm. Exhibiting aromas of pear, white flowers, freshly baked bread, confit citrus and iodine, it’s medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, with terrific depth and tension. It’s a close race between this and Michel’s Vaulorent this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPBack in the fleshier style so for once I may have a preference for the regular. But then I love it on the palate with just a little bit of fresh red fruit mixing in. This has been racked a second time and sulphured which may explain the nose. The finish is excellent and very well poised.Jasper Morris | 92-94 JM

The holding is right in the middle of Bâtard-Montrachet, with rows all the way up and down. Mid yellow. A weighty punchy bouquet, not quite so fine. Massive on the palate and the fruit takes on a whiter, not over ripe configuration, with excellent thread of acidity. Still an absolute baby but will certainly achieve its grand cru status. Drink from 2027-2035.Jasper Morris | 94-96 JMTOP QUALITY An exemplary Bâtard and among the best wines of the appellation. There is a deep lemon-yellow hue and pronounced ripe apple and pear fruit aromas with hints of spice, cream, butter and toasted hazelnut. The texture is lush and dense, just this side of opulence, but there is enough acidity to balance everything out and lead it to a harmonious, lingering finish. It is produced from a domaine-owned parcel of one third of a hectare on the border between Puligny and Chassagne, fermented and aged in new casks.Decanter | 95 DEC A restrained and distinctly citrus and floral-suffused nose displays hints of exotic tea, anise, oak and just sliced apple. There is both excellent volume and excellent delineation on the succulent but almost painfully punchy big-bodied flavors that terminate in a precise, balanced and bone-dry finale. This is presently very tightly coiled and a wine that will need extended keeping and should amply reward 12 to 15 years of it. Excellent. (Drink starting 2033)Burghound | 95 BHAromas of clear honey, sweet orchard fruit and white flowers preface Boillot’s 2021 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, a full-bodied, ample and satiny wine with racy acids and a broad, expansive profile, concluding with a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThe 2021 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is heady, rich and exotic, with good depth for the year and plenty of allure. Apricot, tangerine oil, butter, white pepper, hazelnut, chamomile and lightly honeyed notes fill out the layers. This is a decidedly small-scaled Bâtard, but then again, we are talking about 2021. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 91-93 VM

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

Aged 12 months in neutral barrels, the 2022 Pouilly-Fuissé has a gorgeous perfume of spiced citrus and orchard fruits, honeyed white flowers, and a kiss of sappy herbs. Wonderfully balanced, medium-bodied, textured, and elegant, it’s a beautiful white from this estate that will shine for 4-6 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD

This Vire Clesse from Roally showcases the pinnacle of Maconnais Chardonnay, hailing from one of the finest vintages in recent memory. On the nose, it offers an enticing bouquet of spring flowers intertwined with aromatic notes of lemon balm, white peach and verbena. On the palate, it is lively and fresh and the wine’s minerality shines through exhibiting the characteristic flinty undertone that is prized in the best examples from this appellation. This is the under $35 bottle of white Burgundy that Puligny Montrachet lovers serve at parties and pools. Sokolin Tasting Panel | 94 SP

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 Vaillons 1er Cru has a complex bouquet with touches of white peach and a muscat-like scent, very focused and seductive. The palate conveys energy and vigor with citrus fruit and hints of orange zest towards the persistent finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

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

Plenty of density evident. A fine combination with concentration, a touch of smoke and richess on the palate, cut with direct acidity. Sunny and ripe yet remains fresh and focused. Will appeal when still relatively young but has the ability to age well.Decanter | 93 DEC

Dense and rich style with a hint of reduction on the nose. More peach fruit than the citrus seen in Brocard’s other Chablis. Love the extra weight here, very classy and fine. Aged in wood (petit foudre of 15 hectolitres). Comes from a massale selection planted after the Second World War.Decanter | 93 DEC

Restrained on the nose, with a brooding, savoury character on the palate. Initially a bit more subdued than the ’straight’ Chablis Sainte Claire, this has the potential for future development given the concentration on show; certainly pushing premier cru quality, if not even higher. Julien Brocard explains that the vines here age up to 75 years, reaching down 25m into the soil.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2022 Chablis Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire has a more backward, less articulate nose than the regular cuvée at this time. The palate has a pleasing lick of salinity on the entry. With fine depth, this linear and taut Chablis will appeal to those seeking a more classic style in this warmer vintage. Excellent.Vinous Media | 91 VMAt least 60 years old. A clean clear colour with a green edge. There is notably more reduction here as well as a broader depth of white fruit. This terroir tends to reduce a little bit and that also explains the little youthful bitter touch. Yet the wine expands beautifully across the palate Drink from 2025-2029. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 90 JM

Julien Brocard’s ’7 Lieux’ are seven distinct vineyards, run biodynamically under his own name. Fermented with indigenous yeast and matured for 12 months in foudres. Lovely wine with a fine balance of fleshiness, power, vivid acidity and lingering minerality to keep everything precise and in check. You can almost feel the health of the vineyard. Delicious.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2022 Chablis La Boissonneuse has a clean, precise bouquet with more mineralité than the Petit Chablis, a subtle crustacea scent emerging with time. The palate is taut on the entry with commendable linearity, certainly one of the stricter, meaner takes of the vintage that will appeal to Chablis purists. Good value.Vinous Media | 90 VM