Chablis Three Ways
by Tom Wolf
2023 Chablis “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Burgundy
In a place where soil is so inextricably bound with the character of the wine, old vines take on an even greater significance. In this case, sixty-year-old vines from three different parcels combine to yield Chardonnay that is at once textured and electrifying. If Savary’s Chablis above is akin to standing on a boat in a bay, Lavantureux’s Vieilles Vignes is like diving into the cold water below.
2024 Chablis
France | Burgundy
Welcome to Chablis, this wine says as you take your first sip, where Chardonnay tastes like it does nowhere else in the world. Its oyster-shell minerality and cool-climate profile are unmistakable, especially in the hands of the Savary family, who vinify this beauty in stainless steel to underscore those fundamental traits of Chardonnay planted in this renowned village. Thanks to malolactic fermentation and lees aging, though, its round body makes it approachable and versatile, able to pair beautifully not only with shellfish but also with light pastas and roast chicken. There’s a reason why this cuvée features at so many KLWM festivities!
2023 Chablis 1er Cru “Vaillons”
France | Burgundy
If you like a little more body and a slightly sunnier spectrum of Chardonnay in your Chablis, the premier cru Vaillons from Henri Costal marries the coolness of the terroir with the warmth and lusciousness that comes with aging the wine partly in old barrels and demi-muids. This is enjoying the bay from the warm deck of the restaurant on the pier!