Romain Collet is a rising star in Chablis. After taking over the domaine in 2009, Collet has introduced ambient yeasts, new fermentation vessels, and a move towards organic viticulture. The quality has jumped, and despite recent disastrous weather patterns, Romain has produced some remarkable vintages.
We’re not the only ones to notice the improvements. After years away, Burghound, Jasper Morris, and the Wine Advocate have all returned and delivered very complementary reviews. Morris writes of a “significant upsurge in quality,” and WA’s William Kelley remarks “there’s a lot to admire here.”
We’re excited to introduce Collet’s Chablis premier cru from the Vaillons vineyard, a classic terroir and one of the original premier crus of Chablis.
Collet raises his Vaillons in equal thirds — one third in tank, one third in foudre, and one third in small barrels (none new). The resulting cuvée is a marriage of the three methods: freshness from the tank, roundness from the foudre, and dryness from the barrel. The Vaillons terroir is very stony, even for Chablis standards, and this wine’s piercing minerality shines through the ripe, golden fruit.
Kelley awarded 90-92 points, finding it “elegantly textural, with lovely purity, a deep core and a stony finish.” Morris awarded 90-93 points, finding it “attractively persistent” and “pure.” This is everything fine Chablis should be. Look for notes of lemon and flowers, with very fine details and Grand Cru length.
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Collet Chablis 1er “Vaillons” 2017
bottle price: $35
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