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In the hands of Fèvre winemaker Didier Séguier, premier cru Montmains has a certain initial reserve. But with time, the green apple and gooseberry notes, touched with acacia blossoms and spice, open up on the palate. The texture is lively and fresh, yet there is substance here as well. The grapes are assembled from 10 parcels throughout Montmains, including some in Forêts and Butteaux. Séguier explains that Butteaux is deep in the valley and further from the Serein so it ripens later. The grapes are fermented in tank and older casks for 40–50% of the harvest.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECDelicate aromas of white blossom, brioche, freshly-cut golden apple and dried grass draw in the nose with feathery opulence. The palate is rich with citrusy acidity that plays second fiddle to fall-ripened orchard fruit that washes across wet stone on the finish. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThere’s a sleek feel to this white despite its rich texture, revealing lemon, apple and flint flavors, plus a hint of honey. Harmonious and enticing, this ends with citrus and stone elements. Shows fine expression and length. Drink now through 2032. 250 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2023 Montmains from Didier Séguier is a beautifully classic example in this vintage. The wine’s aromatic constellation is complex and refined, delivering a mix of green apple, lemon, wet stone minerality, a touch of menthol, dried flowers and a topnote of lime peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and precise, with a lovely core of fruit, excellent backend mineral drive, fine balance and a long, zesty and complex finish. Fine juice. (Drink between 2027-2050)John Gilman | 92 JGSourced from a large 3.8-hectare south- and southeast-facing site, where individual parcels are harvested and vinified separately, the 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains reveals aromas of Granny Smith apple, jasmine, pear and oyster shell. Medium- to full-bodied, the palate is taut and racy, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPAssembled earlier today, so cloudy and this procedure also masks the nose. Classic Montmains behind, with the usual reductive grip, yet also some elegance, very persistent. The lees were first class, says Didier Seguier and this certainly has the makings of a first class Montmains. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted Jun 2024.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JMAn exuberantly fresh nose speaks of mineral reduction, prominent floral, oyster shell and essence of pear scents. There is again solid volume and richness to the seductively textured middle weight flavors that possess just a bit more finishing verve as well as more evident minerality. Here too there is a touch of warmth but it’s not really enough to materially impair the overall sense of balance.Burghound | 88-91 BH

Crushed stone and green apple mingle on the nose that rests against a wall of baby’s breath and muddled white blossom. The steely palate accentuates purity of fruit while elevating freshness on the finish that is lifted by a nervy layer of acidity. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2023 Chablis “Vaillons” from Domaine William Fèvre is another absolutely classic expression of this fine premier cru vineyard. The bouquet is bright and complex, wafting from the glass in a lovely mix of lemon, pink grapefruit, anise, citrus peel, chalky minerality, white flowers and a gentle topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied and focused, with a great core of fruit, lovely bounce and grip, seamless balance and a long, mineral-driven and complex finish. First class Vaillons! (Drink between 2028-2055)John Gilman | 93 JGSourced from a sunny, precocious site that is typically among the first to be harvested, the 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons delivers aromas of beeswax, orange oil, pear and honeysuckle. Full-bodied, enveloping and charming, it is underpinned by ripe yet vibrant acidity and concludes with a saline finish, reflecting the personality of the warm vintage. The wine is derived from 3.5 hectares, the majority of which lies within Vaillons proper.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RPLinear in profile, yet with a fleshy texture enveloping flavors of lemon cake, yellow plum and apple. There’s an underlying flintiness that, coupled with the acidity, brings clarity to the citrus-tinged aftertaste. Excellent length. Drink now through 2033. 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2023 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru has much more composure than the Montmains, more harmonious and poised. Light sea spray scents mixed with Crustacea come through with aeration. The palate is well balanced with fine delineation, quite linear and malic with a concentrated finish. I prefer this to the Montmains this year.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMAn exuberantly fresh nose features notes of essence of apple, sea breeze, pink grapefruit and oyster shell. The delicious, fleshy and solidly concentrated medium weight flavors deliver good if not truly special length on the lightly stony, balanced and bitter lemon-inflected finale. This is sufficiently rich to allow for early accessibility but it also has the stuffing to repay 6 to 10 years of cellaring.Burghound | 89-91 BHMid lemon yellow. A little headier in bouquet than the Montmains, balanced by a reductive note. Richer than usual for Vaillons but still with some balance. A little youthful bitterness. Not quite in place today. Drink from 2026-2033. Tasted Jun 2024.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JM

From a sunny site that benefits from comparatively warm nights, Droin’s 2024 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir delivers aromas of lemon confit, beeswax and peach, mingled with pastry notes, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, textural yet racy palate. Gourmand in profile, it marries the inherent maturity of the site with the taut musculature lent by the cool growing season. Like Vaillons, it derives from a high-maturity site and has turned out very well this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPHere too the wood treatment is reasonably subtle though hardly invisible on the vaguely exotic nose of spicy white and yellow peach, quinine and cool shellfish nuances. The super-sleek and highly refined middle weight flavors are borderline delicate before terminating in a linger, compact and dry-in-the-best sense finish. While this should be capable of rewarding up to a decade of keeping, it’s not so backward that it couldn’t be approached after only 5 or so.Burghound | 91-93 BH35% oak in the blend. Pale in colour and restrained in bouquet. Fresh melons maybe. Good tension on the palate, limestone energy, and fair persistence. An attractive wine though a little less dense than its fellow grands crus. Drink from 2029-2034. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JMThe 2024 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru was not too impacted by the hail. It has a tightly wound, petrichor- and Crustacea-tinged bouquet that remains tight-lipped at the moment. The palate is fresh on the entry with citrus peel, clementine and grapefruit notes. It is harmonious, with finely judged acidity and a poised finish. This is a Grand Cru that stays within its means and benefits from that. The 2024 is very fine.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

I’m sad that Vaulorent had to be folded in to this wine, but at only 25 hl/ha, it is understandable. The wine is notably concentrated with apricot pits, Fuji apples and shortbread. The gently sculpting acidity delivers very nice definition.Tim Atkin | 93 TAThe 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume is derived from vines rooted in deep, clay-rich soils and raised in 40% oak, with the remainder matured in stainless steel tanks. Offering aromas of pear, dried flowers and almond paste, it is medium- to full-bodied, satiny and underpinned by tangy acids, concluding with a long, vanillin-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPGenerous wood fights somewhat with the ripe aromas of citrus confit, white orchard fruit and just enough Chablis typicity to remind one where this is from. I very much like the texture of the plump, round and punchy medium-bodied flavors that possess plenty of sappy dry extract that also serves to buffer the moderately firm acid spine shaping the lingering finale.Burghound | 89-92 BH50% oak. Vaupulans with more clay so on the richer side. Pale yellow. A plumper yellow fruit nose. Fruit through the middle, oak at the end, which past history suggests will integrate. Drink from 2027-2031. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JMThe 2024 Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru is more backward and austere on the nose than the Mont de Milieu. This is reticent at the moment. The palate is balanced with pineapple and grapefruit notes. This has a keen line of acidity, though it’s quite linear and less flattering compared to some of Benoît Droin’s other cuvées this year.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

Aromas of nashi pear, orange peel, vanilla pod and flint preface the 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre, a medium- to full-bodied, taut and racy wine that is considerably concentrated for the vintage, culminating in a long, oak-inflected finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPProminent petrol nuances are present on the ripe and smoky mix of mineral reduction, acacia blossom, lemon-lime and ocean breeze are trimmed in subtle but not invisible wood. There is both better volume and a bit more punch as well to the utterly delicious flavors that deliver fine length on the balanced, dry and sleek finale. While this could use better depth, it’s very stylish, indeed the word classy comes to mind.Burghound | 90-93 BH30% oak component. A lively fresh lemon. Immediate personality without the super-succulence of the hotter years. A little smoky reduction. White orchard fruit with good energy behind, attractive kimmeridgian texture behind. Fine persistence. Drink from 2028-2033. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JMThe 2024 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru takes its time to open in the glass. Eventually, there’s more green fruit here, with touches of gooseberry, Conference pear and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with a more delicate style. It’s quite strict, though a little spice emerges toward the finish. This is understated for a Montée de Tonnerre.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

Delivering aromas of pear, almond paste and orange peel, the 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains is medium- to full-bodied and bright yet giving, concluding with a saline finish. It derives from a clay-rich site that is typically harvested a week later than Vaillons, 40% of which is vinified in wood. This year, it appears less successful when tasted alongside Vaillons.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP40% oak. Glowing pale lemon and lime in colour. The Droin holding in Montmains is in a cooler spot than Vaillons, so picked a week later. Some flesh but matched by a little tension at the back. Attractive in its balance. Drink from 2027-2031. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 90-91 JMThe 2024 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru offers lilting apricot and clementine scents on the pretty nose, which is perhaps what I was expecting from the Vaillons! The palate is very well balanced with more body and slightly less tension than the Vaillons. This is more approachable with its open-armed, tropical-tinged finish. The 2024 will be difficult to resist!Vinous Media | 89-91 VMHere the wood treatment is no longer subtle though it stops short of being intrusive on the more floral-suffused nose that offers enough Chablis typicity to be convincing. The sleek and delicious, if less concentrated, medium-bodied flavors that possess a lovely texture that is also true of the clean and dry finale. This could also use better depth so again, a few years of forbearance are advised.Burghound | 89-91 BH

The 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons, 30% of which is vinified in wood, wafts from the glass with aromas of orange zest, pastry and honeysuckle, followed by a medium- to full-bodied palate with a crisp yet demonstrative core of pure, open-knit fruit. Sourced from a warm site of higher maturity—where Droin typically begins the harvest—it has, unsurprisingly, turned out very well this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPThe 2024 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru has a comparatively strict and correct nose for this vineyard. It’s stonier than I expected. The palate is more generous with hints of fresh apricot and peach. This is well balanced, pretty and quite persistent. Give it 18 months in bottle for the aromatics to open up.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMModerate wood serves as the backdrop for the more floral-suffused aromas of sea breeze, white orchard fruit and a touch of citrus confit. The caressing but punchy middle weight flavors possess a succulent mid-palate texture before concluding in a youthfully austere and attractively dry finale. This could use better depth so a few years of keeping are recommended.Burghound | 89-91 BH30% oak in the blend. A little more yellow in the colour, and a softer more opulent yellow fruit on the nose. Power up front, lighter behind, with lemon notes to finish. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 89-91 JM