Best Value Chablis 2018 – Top buys
From more than 70 Chablis wines tasted en primeur by Tim Atkin MW 11 wines at under £25/$40 have been chosen as representing both great quality, the best value and at a price that many can afford.
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There’s no doubt that the quantity is there for Chablis 2018 with the year seeing one of the largest crops ever, but this is a distinctly mixed vintage.
Quick link: Chablis 2018: Full vintage report plus top scoring wine
Quality is variable with balance and concentration depending on yields, picking dates and vinification techniques. While there are some distinctly ordinary wines – a problem of bitterness in 2018 due to thicker skins and machine harvesting – there are patches of excellence with some offering great value for those looking to buy Chablis 2018 en primeur.
With a mixed vintage, it is even more important to chose carefully. And with prices of some of the top wines soaring above £50/$70 mark, value can be even trickier to find. Prices are not out yet for this vintage with the Burgundy En Primeur campaign expected in early 2020 – so we’ve based price benchmarks on 2016 and 2017 vintages of the same wine.
All the wines are below £25/$40, some of which were rated between 94-96 points, and have been highlighted as ‘top value’ picks from a selection of the best scoring wines. Produced by a mixture of co-operatives, emerging domaines and established producers they showcase well-priced bottlings that have elegance, freshness and the classicism of Chablis in 2018.
Well worth adding these wines to the My Wines section of the website as a reference point for when they are released.
Best Value Chablis 2018
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Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis, 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre, Burgundy, France, 2018

Did organic viticulture enable the Brocards to deal with the heat of the 2018 vintage? There's certainly no sign of stress or over-ripeness in this...
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Domaine Bernard Defaix, Réserve, Chablis, 1er Cru Côte de Léchet, Burgundy, France, 2018

The basic Côte de Léchet from Didier Defaix is pretty good, but it's worth paying a little more to trade up to this much smaller...
2018
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Domaine Gérard Duplessis, Chablis, 1er Cru Vaillons, Burgundy, France, 2018

Lilian Duplessis combines grapes from three parcels in Chatains, Epinottes and Séchet to produce this floral, elegant Left Bank premier cru which is very subtly...
2018
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Domaine Thierry Hamelin, Chablis, 1er Cru Beauroy, Burgundy, France, 2018

Beauroy is one of the warmest premiers crus on the Left Bank and needs to be picked early to retain freshness. The Hamelins' parcel runs...
2018
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Domaine Sébastien Dampt, Chablis, 1er Cru Côte de Léchet, Burgundy, France, 2018

One of three Côte de Léchet bottlings from the Dampts – father Daniel and brother Vincent make very good examples too – this hails from...
2018
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Vincent Dampt, Chablis, 1er Cru Côte de Léchet, Burgundy, France, 2018

An interesting contrast with the wine made by his brother Sébastien, Vincent Dampt's wine sees 20% new oak and is sourced from a 0.4ha parcel...
2018
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La Chablisienne, Chablis, 1er Cru Vaulorent, Burgundy, France, 2018

The pick of La Chablisienne's extensive array of premiers crus in 2018, this is an example of the co-operative at its best. Stylishly wooded, with...
2018
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Domaine Oudin, Chablis, 1er Cru Vaugiraut, Burgundy, France, 2018

Nathalie Oudin is one of an exciting crop of young growers in Chablis, whose small, well-priced range is improving with every vintage. This delicious premier...
2018
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Domaine de la Motte, Vieilles Vignes, Chablis, Burgundy, France, 2018

Adrien Michaud is among the best young growers in Chablis, making wines that deliver flavour as well as outstanding value. This old-vine generic Chablis, based...
2018
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Roland Lavantureux, Chablis, Petit Chablis, Burgundy, France, 2018

David Lavantureux is making some very stylish Chablis from his base in Lignorelles. This is a case in point, entirely sourced from south-east facing slopes...
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Samuel Billaud, Chablis, Petit Chablis, Burgundy, France, 2018

Samuel Billaud's Petit Chablis is better than a lot of producers' Chablis, such is the quality of the winemaking at this comparatively new domaine. Sourced...
2018
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Tim Atkin is an award-winning wine journalist, author, broadcaster, competition judge and photographer. He joined Decanter as a contributing editor in 2018, specialising in Burgundy.
Aside from Decanter, he writes for an array of publications, including Harpers, The Drinks Business and Imbibe, plus his own website, TimAtkin.com.
Alongside Oz Clarke and Olly Smith, he is one of the Three Wine Men, who organise wine tasting events across the UK.
He has won over 30 awards for his work in journalism and photography. Notably, in 2018 he won his sixth Roederer Award as Online Communicator of the Year.