(2023) Yes, you read that right: a 13-year-old Premier Cru Chablis from one of the top domaines, which has recently been released. The nose has a subtle greengage and citrus character, and an also subtle but undeniable hint of flintiness in the background. In the mouth it really is lovely, defying its decade plus of age with pristine fruit and finely etched acidity. Still feeling quite youthful, but with the weight and hint of honeyed maturity. £37.00 as part of a mixed dozen.
(2022) The vines are 35 years old, and vinification in all stainless steel includes 12 months on the lees. It's a Vaillons in a more rounded, succulent and giving style, yeasty, with yellow apple and small floral nuances on the nose. In the mouth it has a lively sense of finesse and composure: nothing is aggressive here, and yet nothing is muted or flabby; it's a perfectly moreish and satisfying Chablis with weight and texture, but enough bright acid balance too.
(2022) From the marly-clay and limestone soils of this vineyard above the village of Santenay. The wine was whole-cluster pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts in barrel before aging on fine lees for 16 months (20% new barrels). It has a seriously attractive nose, the almond and crushed oatmeal sheen of high quality oak over taut, lemony and lightly herb-touched fruit. In the mouth it is cool and clear, a running-water clarity to the acidity with touch of salty minerals and citrus, but there is that light toastiness and hint of more ripe stone fruit on the mid-palate. A delightful white Burgundy.
(2022) Sourced from vineyards across the Chablis region, and made in stainless steel without oak influence. This s a very juicy style of Chablis, plenty of lemon peel and ripe apple fruitiness, small hints of herbs and flowers adding charm. It's rounded and relatively creamy for Chablis on the palate, but a zinging burst of lemon and lime acidity and hint of salts braces the quite long finish.
(2022) The Chardonnay for this wine is selected from vines on clay-limestone soils at an average altitude of 280m. Fermentation in stainless steel is followed by 18 months in oak barrels and foudres. It's a wine of cool restraint, plenty of flinty character over citrus and rioe apple, smoke wreathing around the aromas. The palate has volume and texture, but that super cool and lean fruit and decisive acidity keeps this pin-sharp, some grippy phenolic and a little creamy barrel component adding tension and savoury detail.
(2022) Made from organic grapes, this is 100% chardonnay aged 10 months on fine lees in oak vats (70%), stainless steel (25%), and smaller barrels (5%). Fresh, pristine nose of white stone fruits, but firm and precise, a hint of lemon rind and slightly waxier character too. In the mouth bags of ripe fruit, with great zest and shimmering brightness of lemon and lime into a long, stony finish.
(2022) Low yields in this small biodynamic estate, the wine fermented in concrete tanks but kept on its lees until bottling in the spring. Definite leesy, nutty characters on the nose, but set against clear and very lightly honeyed lemon aromas. The palate is flooded with super-sweet and ripe fruit, again some more taut, apple and apple core dryness at the heart of this, but a riper fruit quality touching on the exotic flits across the mid-palate. Very nicely balanced and good length too, the fruit purity and saline note of acidity driving the finish.
(2022) You may not have come across the very small Premier Cru of Vau-Ligneau in the west of Chablis, this from 40-year-old Chablis vines on a family Domaine. It has seen some oak, that helping give a touch of depth to the colour, and just the gentlest nutty, almondy aspect on the nose. Otherwise, fruit is pristine and showing a little flintiness too. In the mouth it's a beautifully poised Chablis, hinting at nectarine ripeness on the mid-palate, but that's a fleeting moment as the sweep of juicy citrus etched with saline notes extends the finish.
(2021) From the southerly Mâconnaise, a really ripe, creamy and appealing style of white Burgundy, the elevage is not given but there is a lovely sheen of quality oak evident, almondy and oatmeally, with ripe white fruits. Gorgeous fruit sweetness with a lighter feel than the Mâcon-Bussières, and for me that;s a good thing, I like the elegance here and the freshness of the finish as a hint of minerals joins the zesty lemon of the finish.
(2021) There is no more than 25% new oak in this Grand Cru, and Emmanuel says he wants to avoid too much oaky influence. He also suggest that it will be at its peak in five years or so, but will cellar for twenty years minimum. It comes mainly from the En Charlemagne lieu-dit, and though very tight and young, some cedar and flint, and only a light vanilla creaminess comes through, golden apple and citrus is fresh and focused. In the mouth it becomes even more apparent that five years will benefit this wine: it has terrific, elegant concentration, no flabbiness, but there is sweet and ripe fruit weight on the mid-palate before a long, mineral-flecked core of citrus acidity running to the finish. A little creamy texture and flavour from the barrel, but this is all about fruit intensity and tensioning acidity at this stage.
