White and Rosé Wines for Spring

wines

The 2022 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau, matured half and half in vat and barrels, has a cohesive nose with shucked oyster shells infusing the citrus fruit. Quite classic in style. The palate is well-balanced with impressive depth and elegance. Sapid towards the finish with gentle grip, this Cuvée Guy Moreau is extremely promising.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMA slightly cooler nose reflects notes of white pepper and a touch of the exotic while the wood treatment, while subtle, is a bit more noticeable. The old vines are in evidence as the mouthfeel of the medium-bodied flavors is markedly denser as the sappy extract coats the palate while buffering the moderately firm acid spine shaping the very dry, more complex and slightly long finale. Lovely.Burghound | 90-93 BH

The 2022 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru has a beautifully defined bouquet with yellow plum, wet stone, hints of baked bread and pressed white flowers. Very good intensity. The palate is well-balanced with fine delineation, very good salinity and tension with superb precision towards the finish. This Les Clos doesn’t want the Valmur to get all the acclaim.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMModerate wood is present on the overtly floral-suffused nose of mostly white fleshed fruit, especially pear and apple, along with notes of citrus confit, acacia and oyster shell whiffs. There is excellent richness and concentration to the markedly powerful larger-scaled flavors that coat the palate on the overtly stony, dry and compact finale. At least moderate patience will be required as this is pretty tightly wound.Burghound | 92-95 BH

Matured in a mix of 500-liter oak and 228-liter steel barrels, the 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos is deep and layered, exhibiting aromas of pear, white flowers, blanched almonds and honeycomb. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, with attractive purity of fruit and bright balancing acids, it underlines this estate’s continued progress.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

Attractive sunny, warm notes on the nose, with a touch of white peach. Much more acidity and flintiness evident. A very high-quality Chablis which will benefit from several years ageing. Raveneau has two plots for its AP Chablis, one in a valley by Montmains, the other opposite Forêts; 1.1ha in total.Decanter | 93 DECNotes of lemon oil, lime zest, white flowers and freshly baked bread introduce the 2022 Chablis Village, a medium to full-bodied, bright and ample wine that remains pure and racy in this warm vintage, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker wine Advocate | 90 RPThe 2022 Chablis-Villages is a step up from the Petit Chablis as you would expect with hints of yellow fruit, Vervane and light apple strudel scents. Lovely delineation. The palate is taut and crisp with fine tension, lightly spiced with a brisk, saline finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a lovely Chablis Village that will age over the next decade.Vinous Media | 90 VMHere there is slightly better Chablis typicity to the ripe, fresh and ever-so-vaguely exotic aromas of white peach, mandarin orange, citrus confit and quinine. The succulent and generous yet decidedly punchy medium-bodied flavors conclude in a crisp, refreshing, very dry and highly refreshing finish that offers notably better depth and persistence. This is an excellent Chablis villages.Burghound | 90 BHMore lime than lemon in colour, really quite backward, lime opal fruits, much more Chablis than indicative of a hot and dry summer. Racy, stylish, full-bodied, some impressive weight here without removing typicity, length and future charm, but will take some time to develop. Drink from 2026-2030. Tasted May 2023.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JM

Raveneau mature all its Petit Chablis in 400 and 500-hectolitre barrels. Plenty of interest here, with density of ripe stone fruit and very linear acidity. Undoubtedly a very high class Petit Chablis which focuses on precision and elegance.Decanter | 93 DEC

Raveneau mature all its Petit Chablis in 400 and 500-hectolitre barrels. Plenty of interest here, with density of ripe stone fruit and very linear acidity. Undoubtedly a very high class Petit Chablis which focuses on precision and elegance.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECThe 2022 Petit Chablis has a pretty bouquet with lime and light Golden Delicious scents. The palate is well balanced with a citric entry, modest weight, a little chalky in texture towards the finish. Fine.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

Quite subtle and restrained on both nose and palate. Plenty of warmth of fruit, but as yet quite restrained. Lovely, salty, zesty notes promise a lot in the future. Ripe peach fruit characters develop with a few minutes in the glass. This will be a great example of Les Clos once in bottle. Tank sample.Decanter | 95 DECQuietly powerful, with subtle fruit flavors, a full body (for Chablis) and layers of fruit, minerals and toast that build on the palate and linger in the finish. Grown on a south-facing slope in clay-based but stony soil. 30% was barrel-fermented, and it shows an opulent, rich expression underlain by a minerally, saline character. Drinkable now, but will develop much more complexity with time. From organically grown grapes. Best from 2029.James Suckling | 94 JSA rich style, exhibiting peach and canteloupe flavors, with a hint of vanilla. Balanced and refreshing, this firms up, with a tactile sensation on the extended finish. Needs time to fully integrate. Best from 2026 through 2032. 1,812 cases made, 110 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSBright full lemon colour with greener notes behind. Floral though with more latent power than that suggests. There is no doubting the intensity of white fruit across the palate, lemons and apples joining the white fruit at the finish, then a more headily perfumed note at the very end, muscat and passion fruit, which suggests that it was time to pick these grapes. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JMGenerous wood and vanilla nuances wood frame cool and exuberantly fresh aromas of citrus, apple and ocean brine. There is borderline painful intensity to the imposing and tautly muscular larger-scaled flavors that retain a lovely sense of refinement on the powerful, balanced, bone-dry and built-to-age finale. As is usually the case with this wine, it’s going to require at least a few years of patience to develop better depth and better integrate what at this point is a borderline annoying level of wood.Burghound | 91-94 BHThe 2022 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru is two-thirds aged in stainless steel and the remainder in wooden barrel for nine months, plus five months, whereby the entire blend is raised in vat. The nose has good intensity: green apple and light kiwi fruit, leesy at the moment but well defined. The palate is taut on the entry with fine depth, well-judged acidity, and smooth in texture with hints of Conference pear mixed with quite spicy peppery notes towards the finish. Good potential.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

Restrained and with notable concentration, this is an intense premier cru with great potential. Notes of peach fruit cut with zesty lime citrus. Very fine. From 68-year-old vines on very dense, white clay soils which are like concrete when dry, heavy when wet.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2022 Chablis Butteaux Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru comes from vines around 70 years old, only slightly older than the regular cuvée, but on different soils (white clay rather than brown with high fossil content). It is usually bottled slightly later. The nose is a little more expressive with hints of red cherries and peach skin - very well defined. The palate is well-balanced with more harmony than the regular cuvée, a crisp line of acidity and touches of oyster shell on the saline finish. Great persistence here. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMSmall millerand crop that ripened early. Pale in colour without too much nose. Nicely balanced on the palate though, a more tightly knit white fruit than the regular bottling, with a little lemon zest, and a balanced long finish. Picked at the right moment I suspect. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JMThis is similar to the regular cuvée except that it seems ever-so-slightly riper. By contrast, there is better concentration and power to the medium-bodied flavors and, somewhat unusually, the mouthfeel is finer as well, particularly on the more complex if also more austere finale. Lovely.Burghound | 90-93 BH

There is complexity on the nose, weight and concentration on the palate, along with great acidity, all combined with the ripeness of fruit and mineral notes on the finish. Just bottled but still showing beautifully. Manager Guillaume Michel notes that his Montée de Tonnerre is 100% from Chapelot. This is a south-facing, homogenous parcel from the bottom of Chapelot to the mid-level.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2022 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has an attractive bouquet with touches of frangipane infusing the citrus fruit and hints of dried orange peel coming through with time. The palate is well-balanced with a waxy-textured opening. Good delineation, quite saline, with a twist of sour lemon dovetailing into a slight nutty/smoky note on the finish. One of the finest Premier Crus from Louis Michel.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMLean and tightly packed, with apple, lemon and stone flavors, this intense, balanced white remains well-delineated from start to finish, ending with compact fruit and mineral accents. Best from 2026 through 2033. 450 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSA more elegant, airier and more floral-suffused nose combines notes of spiced pear and enough Chablis elements to be more than just interesting. The refined, delicious and caressing middleweight flavors possess very good punch on the firm, balanced, moderately dry and bitter lemon-inflected finish. This markedly stony effort is also quite good and worth considering.Burghound | 91-94 BHFrom the Chapelot sector. Mid lemon yellow. the nose is much more backward than Vaulorent though with power. Picked 6th September at 12.5%. Plenty of guts to this, a more austere stoniness on the second half of the palate, no shortage of fruit, becoming just a little more opulent at the finish. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

Generous but not dominant wood fights a bit with the otherwise airy aromas of Granny Smith apples, just sliced citrus and a lovely array of Chablis elements that include iodine, oyster shell, and tidal pool wisps. The racy, intense and markedly stony broad-shouldered flavors possess evident power on the firm, compact and balanced finale that is dry but not especially austere. While perfectly normal in the context of what is typical for Les Clos, this is definitely going to need at least some forbearance, both to better integrate the wood treatment as well as develop better depth. Excellent.Burghound | 93-96 BH20% new wood and 80% inox for vinification, then all to barrel, but will not be bottled until February 2024. The bouquet shows all the majesty of Clos plus some wood as well. Early days. This absolutely fills the palate but the wood has the upper hand for the moment. It cannot entirely keep the fruit out of the picture though. This will get there but you need to wait. Drink from 2032-2040+. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JM

Cool, fresh and lively, yet the brisk acidity provides a great counterfoil for some succulent, juicy and ripe fruit. Clear Chablis origin, with the focus and intensity on the palate. This should have a long drinking window and is a very classy example, marrying the warmth of 2022 and the density of the premier cru.Decanter | 94 DEC

The 2022 Chablis Bougros Grand Cru, matured around one-third in used barrel, sports a subtle reduction on the nose that works to its favor: white flowers commingle with Mirabelle and crushed stone. The palate is well-balanced and precise, harmonious with orange pith and nectarine, just a touch of praline. It builds nicely in the glass and then slams its foot on the accelerator right on the finish as if to say: That’s all for now. One for the patient amongst you.Vinous Media | 92-94 VMBougros, according to Didier Séguier, is the place for those who like lots of ripeness and not too much minerality. Quality has increased greatly here with reduced yields. Plenty of weight and ripeness but also with finesse and appeal.Decanter | 92 DECFresh pale green tint. Didier describes this as the entry level grand cru. The average age of the vines is at or above 60 years. There is admirable tension here, an electric start, more middleweight through the middle, then quite a powerful middle with decent dry extract, and good length. Keeps coming back. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JMOnce again there is plenty of mineral reduction character suffusing the aromas of ripe pear, soft wood and tidal pool. The rich, full-bodied and overtly powerful broad-shouldered flavors are robust but not rustic on the bitter lemon, dry and balanced finale. This also needs more depth but that is virtually always the case with young Bougros.Burghound | 91-93 BH

The very steep aspect of Côte Bouguerots is highlighted by a much greater emphasis on minerality than Fevre’s Bougros. This is a grand cru is every way - so much drive on the palate with plenty of extract, concentration, salinity and length. Certain to keep very well but this is also surprisingly approachable early on. DIdier Seguier says it’s likely to close down after 18-24 months but this is clearly a fine example with masses of potential.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2022 Chablis Bougros Côte Bouguerots Grand Cru has a clean and precise bouquet with hints of wild peach, apricot blossom, Mirabelle and crushed stone. The palate is well-balanced with a very harmonious entry, blackcurrant leaf and spice, crushed stone and what feels like plenty of extract on the finish. This has great potential, but afford it time in your cellar.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMThis is the coolest and most restrained of this group of 2022s with its elegant aromas of prominent mineral reduction, lemon-lime, spice and oyster shell. There is almost painful intensity to the intensely stony and strikingly well-detailed larger-bodied yet still beautifully refined flavors that display huge length on the impeccably well-balanced finale. Like the Preuses, this is very classy and built to repay extended keeping.Burghound | 93-95 BH

Starts ripe and fleshy in the mouth, then the minerality comes through. Fresh and direct, a very nicely balanced wine which, although approachable now, will age. The vines here lie on very steep slopes with full exposition to the sun. Early harvesting is the key to freshness.Decanter | 93 DECA small lot so better to assemble early, which has just been done. A fresh green light shines through the clouds nonetheless. Picked among the first, a little yellow fruit plums and fresh white peaches. Salty rather than saline, with a fine firm backbone. The finish is particularly impressive, with the fruit becoming ever fresher at the back of the palate. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMSlightly more evident wood can be found on the cool and elegant aromas of mineral reduction, spiced pear and pretty floral whiffs along with a plenitude of classic Chablis elements. The understated, pure and borderline delicate flavors are at once supple yet beautifully detailed as well as almost aggressively mineral-driven on the superbly long finish. This is pretty much textbook Vaudésir.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2022 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru has a less immediate nose than the Bougros, with hints of lanolin and estuarine scents, lemon verbena and fern. This builds with confidence in the glass. The palate is well-balanced with fine delineation and cohesion, a welcome sour lemon edge, and salinity with a primal grapefruit finish. Again, this will require time once in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

Showing a distinct green tinge in the glass. Plenty of purity and finesse, but not as dramatic as some premier crus. Missing a bit of complexity at the moment, although this will evolve with more time in bottle. Didier Séguier emphasised the need to pick early to preserve freshness. 20% matured in old barrels after malolactic fermentation.Decanter | 91 DECLocated at the very start of Troesmes, 55 to 60 year old vines. Fine fresh lemon yellow. A clean and elegant fruit forward nose, lighter in style than most 1ers crus, hence its place in the line-up. Youthful bitters again, then a serene follow through, pure and precise. Fine elegant finish. Drink from 2026-2031. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JMThe 2022 Chablis Beauroy 1er Cru comes from 1.1 hectares of vines near the Troesmes vineyard, aged in 25-30% used oak. It takes a few swirls of the glass to get into its groove, scents of white flowers complementing green apple and Conference pear aromas. The palate is well-balanced with a peppery entry, a fine bitter lemon note lending nerve. Quite strict and classic in style, this Beauroy will deserve a couple of years in bottle.Vinous Media | 89-91 VMA whiff of exotic fruit lurks in the background of the aromas of white peach, spiced apple and seaweed nuances. Here too there is very good energy to the appealingly textured medium-bodied flavors thanks to the abundance of dry extract that also buffers the moderately firm acid spine shaping the lemon zest-inflected finale. While this could also use better depth, the underlying material is here for that to occur in time.Burghound | 89-92 BH

The domaine’s 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume, a parcel selection in Vaulorent, opens in the glass with notes of sweet citrus fruit, white flowers and oyster shell, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and pillowy palate that’s cool and fleshy, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Always one of the more quintessentially Chablisien wines in the range, the 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys offers up notes of citrus oil, white flowers, wet stones and oyster shell, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and pure palate that’s suave but incisive, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPWith its particular northerly exposition within Vaillons, you would expect Les Lys to be very successful in 2022. And it is. A fine blend of freshness allied to sun-drenched ripeness, with a pronounced mineral finish. A great example of the distinctive terroir of Les Lys. Long, mineral, salty tail.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECThe 2022 Chablis Les Lys 1er Cru comes from north/northwest-facing vines. This complex and detailed bouquet of yellow fruit, lemon verbena and lemon thyme is quite minerally and focused. The well-balanced palate has a fine acidic spine, more sapidity than the Vaillons and a persistent and detailed finish as it fans out. Superb.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMThere is a certain coolness to the otherwise ripe aromas of apple, pear, sea breeze and quinine. The succulent and unusually rich middleweight flavors are also nicely refined while flashing a bead of minerality on the youthfully austere, balanced and lilting finale that could use better depth. This citrusy effort is really quite good and one that should benefit markedly from a few years of keeping.Burghound | 91 BHJust assembled so cloudy, as all the lees remain in suspension. The bouquet is less fine but shows nonetheless a wealth of pure white fruit which is attractive. Lots of marl with a mix of portlandian and kimmeridgian soils, the former adding the body, the latter leaving the lick of salinity. Good length. Drink from 2026-2034. Tasted Jun 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JM

Didier Séguier notes that Montmains, with it’s deep clay soil, imparts extra richness. A favourite cuvée for Séguier, this is very mineral in character, tempering the richness and power on the palate. Fèvre owns 3.8ha of Montmains, coming from 10 plots across all three sub-climats.Decanter | 93 DECClear lemon and lime colour. Just a very light coquillage reduction. Then the wine builds a beautiful level of intensity on the palate, a lime thread, very salivating for its dry finish. An impeccable balance, this is faultless. And so persistent! Nothing heavy, nothing over sunny. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JMThe cool and almost reticent nose makes clear that it could be from nowhere but Chablis with its array of prominent mineral reduction, shellfish and iodine-scented pear and floral aromas. The more refined if perhaps slightly less generous middleweight flavors possess both good volume and vibrancy on the lightly stony, persistent and balanced finish. This lovely effort should be more than capable of delivering 7 to 10 years of cellaring potential.Burghound | 90-93 BHThe 2022 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru has a tightly wound bouquet, maybe a little reduced now, rendering it challenging to read. The palate is well-balanced with a malic entry, fine acidity, and modest depth, with a peppery touch lingering on the aftertaste. This needs a little more personality and engagement.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

This is also aromatically cool and almost as reticent with its airy aromas of white pepper, mineral reduction, essence of pear and a suggestion of wood influence. The gorgeously textured medium weight flavors possess an even more developed sense of refinement while exhibiting fine length on the quinine, stony and bitter lemon zest-suffused finale. This is lovely and a Vaillons of finesse in 2022.Burghound | 90-93 BHThe 2021 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru had been blended the previous week, during which a majority of the lees is kept. Often one of my favorite cuvées from William Fevre, the entrancing bouquet has impressive intensity on the nose. The palate is well-balanced with lemon verbena and touches of pear, a fine sense of energy and composure, and a persistent finish. This already looks very promising.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMTypical Vaillons perfume and freshness. Precise but with good weight and precision. A classy Vaillons which will drink well when young but will also age. Fèvre owns 3.5ha, with 50% in Vaillons, and the rest spread between Chatains, Roncière and Melinots. Early harvest here.Decanter | 92 DEC

This also displays moderate wood influence on the ripe layered and pure nose that displays good layering and ample Chablis typicity. There is impressive mid-palate density to the opulent and lavishly rich medium-bodied flavors that possess a borderline lush, even creamy, mouthfeel, all wrapped in a citrusy and sneaky long finish. This unusually powerful effort should also be capable of mid-term development yet drink well after only 5 or so years.Burghound | 91-94 BH

Usually a benchmark for the appellation, Droin’s Chablis has a lot more density and concentration than the Petit Chablis. More structure and minerality here. Will be very good and a classic example.Decanter | 92 DECThe 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 Grenouilles Grand Cru has a more low-key nose than the impressive 2021, well-defined with crushed limestone, Granny Smiths and peach skin aromas. The palate is well-balanced, with a fine bead of acidity counterbalancing the richness. Tensile, quite saline, building gradually towards a very cohesive finish. Refined and sophisticated.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

The 2022 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru has a very aromatic bouquet with apple blossom, white peach, wet stone and light praline scents - complex. The palate is delineated and sapid on the entry, quite strict with quince and peach hints towards the sustained finish. Classy, if just missing the killer blow.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