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 extraordinary. Cuvées 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 their Grand Cru, with a higher pricetag and shorter supply, is worth every penny.
Collet’s 2019 Grand Cru Valmur is huge and intense, the product of impressive terroir in a concentrated vintage. Romain has expertly balanced Chablis’s signature minerality with a richness that calls to mind Corton-Charlemagne or Montrachet. Vinous and Jasper Morris awarded between 91 and 94 points, finding it “classy and refined,” with a “muscular character” and “the substance to age.
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. A grand wine for a grand occasion.
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Collet Chablis Grand Cru “Valmur ” 2019
bottle price: $68