I have always loved white burgundy - especially anything from Puligny Montrachet. But between the cost and the premature oxidation issues I stopped buying the stuff about 15 years ago. Lately I have started dipping my toes into Chablis. Tonight I was in the mood for some scallops with a cauliflower puree. Figured a relatively cheap 2022 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire would do quite nicely. Certainly not a disappointment - bright with more tropical fruits and that mineral driven mid palate. It works fine for me.
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Iāve been drinking a bunch of entry level 1er Chablis from 2014 lately. So far I havenāt had a single dud bottle. And holy smokes they are drinking well! Last night I had a 2014 Fevre Vaillons that was Chablis perfection.
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That wine is often even better on day two.
Itās pretty much our house white.
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You may not want to gallop through the ā14s, given current prices. Last couple of years prices have really jumped.
All three and a half tiers used to be a terrific QPR by any measure, now only relative to other Burgs.
When prices werenāt that different than Cote de Beaune whites not named Meursault, Chassagne and Puligny, Chablis amounted to almost half of my substantial white Burg consumption. Today, itās closer to 2/3, with the remaining 1/3 split between Cote de Beaunes and Maconnais.
Production increased so much over the past 20 years that consumers need to be a little more selective, but there are still, to my taste, excellent values compared to Chardonnays from anywhere else.
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Today got an offer for Louis Michel Butteaux 2022 for $90. I paid $50 for to 2017 in 2020.
And for me it is the profile of Chablis that I find attractive - I have never been much of a Kendall Jackson fan. Even Chassagne has always been a bit heavier than Puligny to my taste buds. I like some of the new world Sonoma Chards like Rochioli. But ultimately for chardonnay Chablis just hits the spot - they seem a little lighter, maintain a nice acidic profile even though putatively many go through full malolactic they still seem to never be heavy. Maybe I should try some Oregon Chards?
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I havenāt looked at Chablis pricing lately, but that is a shock!
Despite greatly increased acreage, weather issues have hammered supply.
My ex-company represents two Chablis Domaines. I donāt have current pricing for the one that is already very well established, with a long track record. But the one we picked up recently (~3 years ago) offers limited quantities of two excellent 1er Crus that should retail at ~$50 - 60 through the 3 tier system.
I would suggest you try some Santa Cruz Mountain Chardonnays!
Maybe?
Any names to try first?
Chablis and Cote de Beaune are two different animals. Chablis, while delicious in its own right and a terrific food pairing with shellfish, is not a substitute for other Burgundian whites.
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Some pretty serious generalizations there. There is lots of Chablis, especially at the GC level, that would be impossible to call compared to a CdB Burgundy white. That is to say, there is a lot of Chablis that arenāt really recognizable as Chablis any more.
Maybe so. I was generalizing with prototypes from the regions. But would be a very informative side by side to see what still holds
I donāt have hard data but Iām wondering if thereās a split happening with sharp increases on top names and smaller increases for lesser wines. Eg. Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis is āonlyā up $27 (iirc) to $33
(All my prices are Ontario and include taxes)
Just as an example of what I call damn good bargains in Chablis. I just bought a 2014 Le Chablisienne 1er in magnum for $80, and a bunch of lesser producer 2014 1ers for 25-30 ea.
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Considering how small the vineyard area is, there are a lot of exceptional Chardonnay producers in the Santa Cruz Mountains:
The Grand Seigneur is obviously Mount Eden. Earlier this year I conducted a 5 decade vertical for a charity tasting. The wines from the 80s and 90s were neck and neck, not a single wine was too old.
Their other wine, Domaine Eden, is also truly excellent. Drinkable on release, it is at its best from 5 - 10 years. Mount Eden is at its best from 10 - 50 years. That is neither a typo nor a joke.
The up-and-coming new kid is Rhys. At a recent dinner, their 2009 Alpine Chardonnay was not showing well, but the 2009 Horseshoe was outstanding and still had a way to go. Their entry-level wines have no vineyard designation but are also excellent at up to 10 years.
I havenāt tasted Chardonnay from all of the producers, but here are some other suggestions:
Ridge, famous for Cabernet, makes outstanding Chardonnay, the regular bottling perhaps better value than the very limited Monte Bello.
Thomas Fogarty has improved over the decades and the best bottlings can be great.
Alfaro, Sandar and Hem, Bargetto, David Bruce and Mindego Ridge are just a few other names worth trying. It is almost impossible to find a Santa Cruz Mountain Chardonnay for over $100 and not at all hard to find excellent wine under $50.
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Good point. I somehow read the previous comment in the context of āproper Chablis especially 1er cruā - which it didnāt explicitly reference.
Iāve long thought of GC (but not proper 1er cru) as somewhat of a (value) substitute for Cote de Beaune. But yes I seem to be tasting more and more Chablis that might be described as āeasyā if not quite āblouseyā. Alas they seem to be popular
And yes, thereās lots of alternatives to the easy / blousey style. Not aware of alternatives for th real thing though. Happy to learn if any.
Youāre welcome! I was going to bid on thatā¦amazing out of 750!
Thank you! I bought a bunch of 750ās based on your tasting note a while back, nice to score a magnum too!
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