2020  Chablis

2020  

One of my most exciting discoveries in Chablis and the Auxerrois was fledgling Domaine Clément Lavallée. Clement's father is the proprietor of a substantial, modern and mechanized domaine in Saint-Bris, but Clément's aspirations were more artisanal. He started his own label in 2019, with just 3.5 hectares supplemented by purchased fruit—a surface that's grown to 5.5 hectares today. Eschewing herbicides, he cultivates the soils with lightweight tractors and keeps chemical treatments to the minimum. Working with a variety of sites and cépages, harvest lasts a full month. In the cellar, whites see a long pressing, with Clément selling in bulk any juice that doesn't please him, and reds see long macerations with a percentage of whole bunches. Élevage takes place in used wood on the lees, and the wines are never pumped. What I tasted on this first visit indicates that Lavallée hit the ground running with his very first vintage. Textural but incisive, pure and penetrating, I was immensely impressed by these young wines - from pungently mineral Chablis, to perfumed and intense reds, to Saint-Bris that's more Auxerrois than it is Sauvignon, everything here comes warmly recommended, and I encourage importers to beat a path to this new domaine's door. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

2020  

"Taking its name from the vineyard's inclination, Lavallée's 2020 Chablis 45° reveals scents of citrus zest, white flowers, Anjou pear and fresh pastry. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and concentrated, it's elegant and penetrating, with a satiny attack and an electric finish. It's full of promise." - 90-92pts WA

2020  Chablis

"The 2020 Chablis Les Ardillers confirms the promise it revealed in barrel. Offering up notes of citrus oil, green apple, white flowers and wet stones, framed by a hint of smoky reduction, it's medium to full-bodied, with a satiny attack and a racy spine of acidity, concluding with a saline finish. This chiseled wine is fleshier and more textural than the Chablis 45°." - 91pts WA

2019  

89-91 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous ---- The 2019 Chablis Village is matured in stainless steel tank for 10 months. It has a tightly wound bouquet with scents of orange blossom and a touch of tinned apricot; good delineation here. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, and lively from the start, offering plenty of citrus fruit joined by desiccated orange peel and a touch of spice on the finish. Excellent.

2019  

"Interestingly, this is aromatically quite similar to the Valmur save for the presence of an abundance of floral and shellfish elements. The super-intense, indeed almost painful, broad-shouldered flavors possess evident minerality and outstanding delineation that possess a bracing salinity on the hugely long finale. This too is clearly built for extended cellaring and is going to need at least 5 to 7 before it will be approachable. In a word, excellent." - 95pts Burghound

2019  

"The 2019 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru, which I did not taste last year, offers well-defined scents of lemon sherbet, vervain tea and orange pith. The palate is vivacious and lively with a creamy texture. You might be duped into thinking there is more new oak in this cuvée, but it’s only around 5%. Taut and saline on the finish, this lingers wonderfully in the mouth. It will be difficult to resist in its youth." - 94pts Vinous

2020  Chablis

"The 2020 Chablis Mont de Milieu 1er Cru comes from a south-facing, warm microclimate; the vines are worked by horse, and for the first time, around half the cuvée has been in clay amphorae, which Olivier de Moor believes has lent more precision. It has a delightful bouquet with scents of yellow plum, tangerine and light honeysuckle aromas. The palate is well-balanced with very fine delineation and tension, razor-sharp (perhaps more than previous vintages) with a vibrant and, like the Vau de Vey, quite penetrating with a persistent finish. Shimmers in the glass." - 94pts Vinous

2020  Chablis

"The 2020 Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru has a classy bouquet, quite complex with orchard fruit, struck flint and light peach skin scents. It conveys a sense of energy. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite penetrating towards its citric finish with a sapid aftertaste. This embraces the classic style of Chablis and should age well in bottle. Excellent. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis." - 94pts Vinous

2019  Chablis

"The 2019 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru has a very pretty bouquet of yellow flowers, honeysuckle and light white truffle scents, plus a touch of flint in the background. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. This is certainly one of the more elegant Grand Crus in 2019, displaying admirable poise and a touch of spice toward the lingering finish. Excellent." - 93pts Vinous

2020  

"An elegant, admirably pure and airy nose freely offers up its aromas of green apple, lemon rind, oyster shell and iodine. There is again fine energy and detail to the equally saliva-inducing medium weight flavors that flash plenty of salinity on the complex, long and balanced finale. This too is excellent for its level." - Outstanding Top Value, Burghound

2020  

"An elegant, admirably pure and airy nose freely offers up its aromas of green apple, lemon rind, oyster shell and iodine. There is again fine energy and detail to the equally saliva-inducing medium weight flavors that flash plenty of salinity on the complex, long and balanced finale. This too is excellent for its level." - 89-92/Outstanding BH