Moore Brothers Wine Company

My Store: New Jersey (change store) 888-686-6673

Chablis Vieilles Vignes Domaine Christophe et fils 2020

Chablis Vieilles Vignes Domaine Christophe et fils 2020

Two steep parcels planted in 1959 in the fossil-rich Kimmeridgian limestone hills above Fontenay-pres-Chablis are the source of the laser-focused Chablis. Sébastien’s meticulous farming of these old vines results in a wine with engaging vitality when first poured, and that gains complexity with time in the glass. The nose jumps out of the glass, with freshly sliced Baldwin apples (just spritzed with lemon juice, in preparation for baking in a pie), along with dried honey, crushed oyster shells, and toasted sesame seeds, all exchanging places with white flowers, acacia, and a subtle reminder that 10% of the wine was fermented in new oak barrels. On the palate, the chalky minerality is palpable, and the wine is concentrated and ripe, with a rare combination of voltaic tension and vibrancy (in the literal sense: the glass itself seems to vibrate!). All of which culminates in a long, dry, mineral-infused finish.

About this wine producer: Beginning in 1998 with just 0,6 hectares of Petit Chablis at the top of the hill above the Grands Crus, Sébastien Christophe represents a new generation of winegrowers in Chablis: hard-driving, well-grounded in tradition, yet thoroughly familiar with modern winegrowing practices, and aware of the advantages and challenges that climate change has presented to this part of Burgundy. Today, Sébastien is responsible for more than thirty hectares of vines in the appellations Petit Chablis, Chablis AOC, three Chablis Premiers Crus, including Fourchaume, Mont du Milieu, and Montée de Tonnerre, as well as the Grand Cru Blanchot, where he farms the vines in lutte raisonée. At his tiny winery outside the hamlet of Fyé, on the right bank of the Serein opposite the town of Chablis, he produces about 70,000 bottles annually of some of the most exciting wines in the region, all fermented on the natural yeast in stainless steel tanks, with only about 10% of the wine matured in neutral, used oak barrels.

$34.00

Reviews

Samuel (December 25, 2021)

Mimi (May 17, 2022)