CHABLIS

For many wine aficionados, Christmas without Chablis – the classic steely wine of Burgundy’s northernmost vineyards in north east France – is unthinkable. All the stony and limpid premium-plus Chablis you’ll need, made from low-yielding, 50-70-year-old Chardonnay vines (yes, Chablis is Chardy!), this has the lemony tang, tell-tale expressive racy mineral and evocative oyster shell/rock pool salinity to make you chortle with cheerfulness. Les Pargues is a one-hectare lieu-dit (named site) which has a similar exposition to premiers crus Vaillons and Montmains. From ear to ear the quality is simply stupendous. Blossoms on the finish. Fermented with wild yeasts, most of the final blend was aged in old 600-litre French (steamed, not charred) barrels, hence the wood influence is extremely subtle indeed. But the X-factor and great sense of place here are both quite unmistakable: take a bow cult Chablis supremo Virginie (Mimi) Moreau!

But what to eat with it?
I caught up with Jack Chapman, Head of Private Clients at London’s fine wine merchant Lea & Sandeman (recently granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment to HM the Queen) to find out more:
“The most immediate and predictable pairing you’ll be offered for Chablis is seafood – with good reason, it works wonderfully. However, for a real treat, drink it with homemade cheese gougères. For the uninitiated, these are more or less little choux pastry cheese doughnuts. Incredibly easy to make and I’ll eat my shoes if they don’t quickly become a go-to dinner party snack.” À votre santé and bon appétit!James Viner, Times of Tunbridge Wells (Dec 2021)

The 2018 Chablis Vieilles Vignes Les Pargues is a rich wine with all of the gravitas that comes from the old vines; it is a wine of real substance. Tropical fruit, exotic floral notes and spice all emerge but it is the wine's vertical power and depth that stand out most. Rating: 89-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jan 2020)