The wines of Chablis are known for their limited oak, piercing minerality, and crystalline elegance. Our favorites are often mid-range bottles that combine everyday pricing and with great energy and beautiful precision.
But high-end Chablis can be truly extraordinary. Far from the midweight mouthfeel and dry fruit of simpler cuvées, wines from Chablis’s seven famous Grand Crus show a depth and power that’s remarkable for a white wine.
The Domaine Jean Collet makes superb everyday village and premier cru cuvées. But if you have room in your budget for a white Burgundy splurge, this Grand Cru won’t disappoint.
Collet’s 2016 Grand Cru Valmur is huge and intense. Romain has expertly balanced Chablis’s signature minerality with a richness that calls to mind Corton-Charlemagne or Montrachet. Vinous and Burghound both awarded 93 points, finding “broad-shouldered flavors,” “highly-textured mouthfeel,” and calling it “opulent” and “very promising.”
This is exceptionally powerful white wine. The nose shows gardenia, green tea, and baked lemon flavors, with a bright chalky stoniness that enhances the fruit. The mouth is simply packed with flavor — it’s bold and rich, but vibrant in texture.
Recommended uses: convert a red-wine-only drinker; dress up your holiday Oysters Rockefeller; surprise that friend who swore off Chardonnay; kick off your 2019 in style.
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Collet Chablis Grand Cru “Valmur” 2016
bottle price: $69
FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES
