If like us you spend Memorial Day through Labor Day lusting after Chablis, here's an example that will satisfy your full craving without the sting of 'top Chablis' pricing. It’s the single greatest Chablis value, hell, perhaps the single greatest value period in our little shop right now.
Cyril Testut owns a parcel of 50 years old vines in this most gifted of villages vineyards, the all-my-neighbors-are-famous ‘Côte de Bréchain.’ In fact the vineyard is technically itself famous, albeit vicariously: a portion is part of the excellent premier cru ‘Montée de Tonnerre’ and 1 of 4 climats permitted to bottle under the MdT banner. The remainder enjoys the quieter distinction of producing this reference-point villages.
The wine pours a brilliant green-gold before dishing out classic Chablisien aromas of lemon and cold stones. It’s a Chablis lover’s Chablis nose, cool and subtle, and tracking more floral with time in the glass. The precision and tension are wonderful, practically unheard of at this price. Give it a little decant before dinner prepping. You’ll notice the flavors trending more marine/umami across the evening, and too a cleaner delineation of parts. What starts as a knot of fruit and minerals loosens over time into separate skeins of clear, individual flavors. How many sub-$30 bottles so richly reward our sustained attention?
‘Back up the truck’ isn’t our style, but consider buying twice as much as you initially think you’ll need. You’ll likely to be out by mid-June just the same.
Cheers,
Jason
