Pure, Unoaked Chardonnay: Chablis 1er Cru

Unique.  Chablis is a singular place. Its combination of deep stony soils and cool climate exists nowhere else on earth. These factors produce a similarly singular wine — mineral and crisp, pure and clean. Our goal as importers is to find wines that reflect the place from which they come, and there is no better place to find them than Chablis.

Cyril Gautheron is a rising star here. The Gautheron Family has made wine in Chablis for 200 years, but Cyril has taken the reins with an unusual passion. Our visits with him regularly run late as he explains the intricacies of his family’s property, and shows us unblended wines from dozens of plots.

Today’s wine, the Chablis 1er cru “Vaucoupin” is pure, elegant Chardonnay. In an era where many Chablis vignerons now add oak to their 1er crus, Gautheron keeps his entirely unoaked, allowing the stony soil to show through as delicate minerality.

 

Flint.  Jancis Robinson calls Chablis “one of the great white wines of the world.” Though it’s often overlooked because of price and brand confusion, the wines are among the finest in our cellar. Nowhere else does Chardonnay achieve the same elegant, flinty clarity; and Gautheron’s expression of this region is as pure and true as any.

Because of its bright acidity, Chablis is a classic pairing for shellfish and fish. But as a 1er cru from 35 year old vines, Vaucoupin shows an extra dose of fullness. We’d readily pair this with a richer fish – like swordfish or monkfish – or switch over to a roast chicken.

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GAUTHERON Chablis 1er “Vaucoupin” 13
Ansonia Retail: $28
case, half-case price: $24/bot

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AVAILABLE IN 6-  AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS

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Email Tom to place an order.

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