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Winner Details

FRANCE: Chablis

2017 Gold: 4 Silver: 5 Bronze: 2 Commended: 8
2016 Gold: 5 Silver: 11 Bronze: 0 Commended: 6

Chablis is on a bit of a roll in this competition. It often does well in cooler vintages, when our somms enjoy that classic cold metallic crunch to the wines, but 2015 was a much warmer, riper year and our tasters still liked what they were seeing. Taster after taster mentioned that, with Burgundy prices moving from ‘pricey’ to ‘frankly ridiculous’, Chablis is probably the best place to come for more affordable classy Chardonnay.

Of course, that said, these things are all relative. There has been precious little under £10 from Chablis for a few years now, and the epically brutal 2016 vintage (which left the region with a hugely reduced crop) is hardly going to help that.

But provided they can eke out supplies, you can get some marvellous wines here. Just don’t expect your supplier to be receptive to hard bargaining.

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘People are definitely big fans of Chablis, they know what style they’re going to get: a lot of steeliness. Just a couple had oak, and it was interesting to see screwcaps on three of the bottles.’ Ivan Ruiz, Wright Brothers

‘The Mâconnais used to be the value end of Burgundy, but Chablis still has some of the best value wines.’ Simon Woods, team leader

‘Chablis is unique in the world of Chardonnay. Even at a high price tag it earns a place on good wine list because it really delivers a distinctly different experience and is a great food-matching wine.’ Martin Lam, team leader

‘A couple had a little bit of oakiness so would hold their own against white meats like a herbed chicken or a more meaty fish like a turbot or a halibut. But we’re talking about seafood really, the minerality works brilliantly.’ Scott Levy, Smith & Wollensky

‘Sometimes an expensive Chablis can remain in the cellar for a long time. They justify the price in terms of quality, but can be a difficult sell.’ Raphael Thierry, Street XO

 

‘The quality is outstanding, really impressive. It’s a hand sell but the quality is there. They’re bringing it back to more terroir-specific wines. It’s tried to be a bit more off-piste in the past few years, but they’re bringing it back.’ Harry Crowther, M Wine Store

Award winners

Found 19 wines

France: Chablis

Domaine Louis Moreau, Chablis Grand Cru, Vaudésir 2013, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner Critics Choice

Winning Gold for what team leader Martin Lam described as ‘a ripe, inviting, floral nose and tight and concentrated palate, with stone fruits, citrus and a long mineral finish’. Street XO’s Raphael Thierry appreciated this wine’s ‘mineral character, textured with good intensity, and honeydew melon fruit on the palate’, while Vinoteca’s Charlie Young matched its ‘clean and mineral character, with a wonderful almond note on the finish’ with roast pork leg.

£33.75 SAS Louis Moreau

Domaine Testut, Vieilles Vignes, Chablis 2015, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner

‘Elegant and sexy with a great seam of minerality and notes of apple blossom,’ began Scott Levy of Smith & Wollensky in his description of this clear Gold winner. Team leader Simon Woods found it ‘young, grippy and herbal, with slight wintergreen notes, fynbos even, and apple and citrus fruit’. A great seafood wine, thought Vinoteca’s Charlie Young, with its ‘pure melon and apple aromas, and a big mineral crescendo’.

£13.45 Top Selection Ltd

Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis 2015, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner

Richly textured, with some mineral complexity, this Chablis easily took Gold for Jean-Marc Brocard. Team leader Simon Woods enjoyed its ‘crisp citrus-lemony aromas, then a long palate with relaxed fruit flavours, smoky and slightly waxy texture, promising more to come with a little age’, while Scott Levy of Smith & Wollensky found it ‘lovely and juicy with lots of apple freshness and palate-pleasing acidity, nicely balanced’. Team leader Jade Koch thought its ‘sweet, buttery salt-caramel style, with salty minerality’ made this a match for crab on toast.

£12.80 Berkmann Wine Cellars

Domaine Louis Michel, Chablis 1er Cru, Montée de Tonnerre 2013, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner

Harry Crowther of M Wine Store found this Gold Lister to have a nose of ‘honey, wax and lanolin, then sweet baking spice notes on the palate with lovely acidity’, and Jacopo Mazzeo of The Pig Hotel (Brockenhurst) enjoyed its ‘bright, mineral and elegant aromas, fresh fruity palate that’s balanced and harmonious with a long finish’. Team leader Jade Koch found it ‘refreshing, with lots going on – a killer prawn cocktail match’.

£24.14 Enotria&Coe

Albert Bichot, L’Orangerie du Château, Chablis 2016, Burgundy, France

Silver medal winner

‘Open aromas of spring-like white flowers and apple blossom, crunchy Granny Smith fruit and wet stone minerals,’ began Bleeding Heart Group’s Christopher Delalonde MS, who was keen on its ‘clean palate’, and thought it ‘pure, refreshing and stylish with a saline tone and unctuous fruit balance’.

£10.50 Fuller's

Domaine Paul Nicolle, Vieilles Vignes, Chablis 2015, Burgundy, France

Silver medal winner

‘Classic style, steely with good minerality and ripeness with citrus notes,’ began Ivan Ruiz of Wright Brothers, while Christopher Delalonde MS of Bleeding Heart Group found ‘apples, floral and chalky notes on the nose, minerals and well-knitted flowery tones, followed by an unctuous, generous and balanced palate with great layers and a salty finish, superbly put together’.

£11.18 Bibendum

Domaine Laroche, Chablis 1er Cru, Les Vaudevey 2015, Burgundy, France

Silver medal winner

‘Complexity on the nose, gunsmoke, flint, minerals and citrus,’ said Harry Crowther of M Wine Store, who enjoyed its ‘luscious acidity and persistent, very long finish’, while team leader Martin Lam admired its ‘very elegant, balanced palate with both concentration and restraint’.

£40.05 Liberty Wines

Domaine Laroche, Chablis 1er Cru, Montée de Tonnerre 2014, Burgundy, France

Silver medal winner

‘Oakier style, acidity is present with citrus fruit and a nice clean palate,’ began Jacopo Mazzeo of The Pig Hotel (Brockenhurst), with Street XO’s Raphael Thierry noting its ‘ripe and creamy texture, with a good fruit profile, mineral character and freshness on the palate’.

£24.07 ADVINI

Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis 1er Cru, Montmains 2015, Burgundy, France

Silver medal winner

Street XO’s Raphael Thierry highlighted ‘smoky minerality on the nose and a textured, mineral, elegant palate’, while for team leader Martin Lam it was ‘spot-on Chablis, saline and floral on the nose with white flowers, focused and concentrated on the palate’.

£18.30 Berkmann Wine Cellars

Domaine Louis Moreau, Origine, Chablis 2015, Burgundy, France

Bronze medal winner

Presenting a definitive style, said Scott Levy of Smith & Wollensky: ‘Peaches and cream with hints of melon, good acidity with a lovely creaminess and hints of citrus, quite intense and juicy on the palate.’

£9.50 Swig Wines

Domaine Louis Moreau, Chablis Grand Cru, Valmur 2013, Burgundy, France

Bronze medal winner

‘A rich nose of noble Chablis aromas, with fat acidity on the palate, good weight of ripe fruit, and classy style overall,’ said Harry Crowther of M Wine Store, with Jacopo Mazzeo of The Pig Hotel (Brockenhurst) also picking out its ‘fruit-driven, soft palate, notes of raisins on the aftertaste, and great warmth, texture and concentration’.

£28.50 Laytons

Domaine de la Motte, Vieilles Vignes, Chablis 2014, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

£10.85 Boutinot

Albert Bichot, Domaine Long-Depaquit, Chablis 2015, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

£11.00 Fuller's

Domaine Louis Moreau, Chablis 1er Cru, Vaulignot 2015, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

£13.13 Laytons

Domaine Louis Moreau, Chablis 1er Cru, Vaillons 2015, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

La Chablisienne, Le Finage, Chablis 2014, Burgundy , France

Commended medal winner

£11.65 Bibendum

Domaine Laroche, St Martin, Chablis 2015, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

£14.60 Liberty Wines

La Cape de St Martin, Chablis 2015, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis 1er Cru, Vau de Vey 2014, Burgundy , France

Commended medal winner