Tyson Stelzer

It is impossible to compare Chablis with any other Chardonnay that I have tasted. Quite simply, nothing else comes close.

Chablis is simultaneously elegant and powerful, soft and structured, refreshing and complex. A characteristic mineral trait is derived from the soil. Fruit flavours include white peach, stewed peach, apricot, lychee and citrus. In the very best examples, all at once. Tight acid and very good length promise a long life.

While it is true that all of the Grand Cru from reliable producers are very good indeed, one should not pass up the Premier Cru and the basic Chablis Appellation labels. Look out for the 2000 vintage – it is superb. Give the Grand Crus a few years in the cellar to open up.

Domaine Vocoret et Fils

Consistently good producer of excellent value Chablis. I tasted only premier and grand cru labels. If they sold for anything like these prices in Australia, I would sell my Aussie Chardonnays and buy them all! Interestingly, no Australian distribution. Any volunteers? (www.vocoret.com)

1999 Montmain Fut de Chene Premier Cru Very Good

Stewed white peaches. Great fruit, structure and length. Elegant.
$17.

Montee de Tonnerre Premier Cru (2000?) Very Good-

Aromatic but elegant peaches surrounded in tight acid and mineral hints.
$18

1998 Vaillon Premier Cru Good +

Buttery and minerally, with nice oak and hints of peach.
$16

2000 Les Clos Grand Cru Very Good

White peach nose and a soft palate. Needs time to open out.
$31

2000 Vaudesir Grand Cru Excellent + to Exceptional -

Yellow with faint hints of gold. A complex but still quite closed nose with soft white peach and mineral. In time, opened up brilliantly to intense peach fruit. The palate is very good, a complex blend of mineral, citrus, oak, peach, butter, lemon and nectarine. An excellent, tight acid structure, with a long finish featuring white peach and mineral. That this wine is simultaneously so delicately elegant and yet so complex is quite profound. All it needs is a few years to integrate and develop. For me, the superior of wines five times its price.
$31

Domaine des Malandes

Another very good Chablis producer without exports to Australia. Again, this is our loss. (www.domaindesmalandes.com)

2000 Cote de Lechet Premier Cru Very Good

Incredibly pale yellow-green. A nice nose of citrus and mineral.
The palate has lemon, lime, orange peel, white peach and mineral. Excellent fruit, albeit not as intense as a good Grand Cru Chablis. Good acid, great structure and good length. Needs a few years to develop in bottle.
$18

1999 Les Clos Grand Cru Very Good

Very light green-yellow. A floral, perfumey nose. The palate is closed but long. I am told that it will open with time.
$40

Louis Jadot

Respected producer based in Beaune. Available in Australia through Hill International.

1999 Chablis Vaillon (?) Premier Cru Very Good

Slightly developed dried fruits and lemon/citrus with mineral, finishing with good length. An intense style, although the acid could assert itself a little more.

Joseph Drouin

Another respected producer based in Beaune. Australian distribution through Tucker Seabrook.

2000 Domaine de Vaudon Chablis Very Good

Nice lemony citrus nose and palate with mineral notes. Elegant, with good acid and finishing with good length. Unoaked.

Louis Michel et Fils

Small family producer. Top quality across the board, and absurdly good value. I’m looking forward to the 2000s of the Premier and Grand Cru labels. Australian distribution through Lester Jesberg (Winewise).

2000 Chablis Very Good

Light yellow-green. A well-structured nose of soft stone fruits and mineral. This is echoed in a palate of ripe stone fruits, lemony acid and minerals. While this wine is simpler and less fruit intense than most of its Grand and Premier Cru brothers, it is a good budget representation of the Chablis style. I would buy this over some of the Premier Crus that I tasted.
$14

1999 Montmain Premier Cru Very Good

Good mineral structure and nice length.
$20

1999 Montee de Tonnerre Premier Cru Very Good

Closed nose. A citrus-dominated palate with very good length.
$22

1999 Grand Cru Vaudesir Very Good

Like the Montee de Tonnerre, quite closed but citrusy. Very long.