As I understand, the 2016 vintage almost wiped out Béru’s entire production in Chablis and they reached out to purchase fruit from friends and released it under their négoce brand (Athenäis). I’d had their regular Terroirs de Béru Chablis bottling but not this cuvée.
This is brilliant stuff. Everything non-intervention winemaking should be; a little bit of wildness but clearly fundamentally sound. On the nose there’s lemongrass, a yeasty lees-like influence, and lemon curd. The palate is rounded on the edges but still beautifully lifted - incisive, with a stony, chalky spine that runs from top to bottom held aloft by racy acidity. Bursting with sharp citrus and a grassy, crisp finish.
I’ve already put in for a 6pk of their 2018 Terroirs. They’re darlings among natural wine aficionados, and I expect their profile to gain even more traction over the coming years.
