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2023 Chablis 1er Cru “Montée de Tonnerre”
Henri Costal
After two decades of Domaine Costal, we have collaborated on the famed premier cru Montée de Tonnerre for the first time. The first Chablis site Kermit ever sold in his November 1972 newsletter, Montée de Tonnerre has played a monumental role throughout the history of our business. Kermit reaffirmed this a few days ago when he told me, “One, this site always strikes me as the most Chablis of the Chablis grands and premiers crus. That steely backbone, the decomposed oyster shells, the austerity compared to Cote d’Or whites. Two, it’s the grandest of the premiers crus.” In Romain’s hands, this certainly bears out as the Montée shows impressive concentration and that irresistibly marine expression of Chablisien Chardonnay. A triumphant addition to our lineup of Costal wines, we only have a few cases, so don’t miss it!
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2023 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chardonnay |
Appellation: | Chablis |
Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Producer: | Domaine Costal |
Winemaker: | Romain Collet |
Vineyard: | 35 years old; 2 ha |
Soil: | Kimmeridgian limestone |
Aging: | Aged 16 months in 228-L barrels |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
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About The Producer
Domaine Costal
About The Region
Burgundy
In eastern central France, Burgundy is nestled between the wine regions of Champagne to the north, the Jura to the east, the Loire to the west, and the Rhône to the south. This is the terroir par excellence for producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The southeast-facing hillside between Dijon in the north and Maranges in the south is known as the Côte d’Or or “golden slope.” The Côte d’Or comprises two main sections, both composed of limestone and clay soils: the Côte de Nuits in the northern sector, and the Côte de Beaune in the south. Both areas produce magnificent whites and reds, although the Côte de Beaune produces more white wine and the Côte de Nuits more red.
Chablis is Burgundy’s northern outpost, known for its flinty and age-worthy Chardonnays planted in Kimmeridgian limestone on an ancient seabed. Vézelay is a smaller area south of Chablis with similar qualities, although the limestone there is not Kimmeridgian.
To the south of the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise extends from Chagny on its northern end, down past Chalon-sur-Saône and encompasses the appellations of Bouzeron in the north, followed by Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny.
Directly south of the Chalonnaise begins the Côte Mâconnais, which extends south past Mâcon to the hamlets of Fuissé, Vinzelles, Chaintré, and Saint-Véran. The Mâconnais is prime Chardonnay country and contains an incredible diversity of soils.
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Where the newsletter started

Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch