Moreau-Naudet Chablis: Le Vrai Truc (The Real Thing)

(Virginie Moreau examining a sample (photo courtesy of Grand Cru Selections))

I was recently asked by a friend if I could remember the bottle of Burgundy from which there was no escape. I replied "Of course I can." (For the record, every Burgundy maven who has gone well and truly down the rabbit hole can remember THAT BOTTLE.) For me, it was an old bottle of "Montée de Tonnerre," a Premier Cru Chablis bottling from the legendary Francois Raveneau. At the time, it was so far outside the scope of my wine-drinking experience that I didn't know quite what to do with myself. But I was powerless. The way the wine evolved in the glass, the intensity of the aroma - it was as though the glass was expanding around my head until I was in danger of falling in. Such is the power of true Chablis.

Chablis sits apart (quite literally) from the rest of Burgundy. It's very far north in relation to the rest of the region, closer to Champagne than the Cote D'Or and the Jurassic-era limestone soils that are its hallmark are so exposed that the rows between the vines appear white from above. These two factors are the primary factors that give Chablis its very distinct character. These are Chardonnays marked by flinty, stony minerality; angular wines, rather than round, that seem to almost cut through the glass you pour them into. They are cited as a classic accompaniment to oysters but in fact they can be drunk with almost anything (they are a great counterpart to spicy food!)

This brings us to Domaine Moreau Naudet. We have been following them here at Chambers Street for several vintages and in my former life as a restaurant wine director they were a staple on my lists. Stephane Moreau took over the estate from his father in 1999 and over the next two decades he made a series of changes, converting to organic viticulture, fermenting only with native yeasts and harvesting by hand. The result was a range of truly outstanding Chablis, wines with great texture, precision and a sense of place. Stephane passed away suddenly in 2016 and his wife Virginie has taken over the domaine's management. She continues to grow and vinify her wines according to the same principles and the results are no less enchanting. I know that I will be able to look to these wines now and years in the future as a source of the same magic that I found in that bottle of Raveneau once upon a time.

-Sam Ehrlich