Chablis is the quintessential food wine. With its refreshing mouthfeel and vibrant minerality, it matches beautifully with a wide range — a foil for rich, creamy dishes, or a match for crisp ones. And for nearly all Chablis, the price-to-quality ratio continues to impress.
Take the vineyard “Montée de Tonnerre.” Located just east of the hill containing Chablis’s seven Grand Crus, this Premier Cru always overperforms its classification. As Rajat Parr writes in his excellent new book, “many think it produces at Grand Cru status, but still goes for Premier Cru prices.”
And for proof of such value, look no further than Romain Collet’s 2016 Montée de Tonnerre. Where premier crus of the Côte d’Or usually exceed $100 per bottle, Collet’s Grand-Cru-like Premier Cru doesn’t even break $40.
Romain Collet turned in an outstanding lineup of wines in 2016, despite tough growing conditions. His Chablis 1er cru “Montée de Tonnerre” is a delight, showing pear, white flowers, and intense lemon peel in the nose, with seabreeze and citrus joining a beautifully tension-filled palate. Burghound called it “muscular but sleek,” and found “good volume and richness.”
We drink more red wines as the weather cools and they days grow shorter, but there’s always need for something white from time to time. This overperforming premier cru, perfectly balancing intensity and depth with vibrant energy, is a great match to the season. Serve with Oysters Rockefeller.
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Collet Chablis 1er “Montée de Tonnerre” 2016
bottle price: $35
FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES