Top scoring Premier Cru Chablis 2019

When Samuel Billaud split from Billaud-Simon, he managed to retain his favourite plot within Vaillons. Lovely colour here - just a touch of brilliant gold flashes in the glass. So pure! Crystalline, stone fruit character and some floral notes on the palate with great finesse and concentration. An ultra-fine expression of Sechet.

A relatively young estate, Lavantureux is definitely a domaine to watch. Arnaud and David are now running things, with a recent 0.95ha acquisition in Vau de Vey. Farmed by hand, this is a delightful Premier Cru which emphasises the character of this steep, stony climat. Lovely density on the palate with an intriguing lime character, balanced by mineral, flinty notes and a touch of creamy oak adding more complexity. Subtle and nuanced.

Corinne Perchaud is one of the best exponents of Vaucoupin, located in the south-east of the region on the right bank of the river. Pithy grapefruit notes often appear with Vaucoupin and that is the case here. But in 2019, there is also some extra ripeness and lusciousness to the fruit which adds weight and complexity. A very promising Premier Cru with good potential for further ageing.

Montée de Tonnerre is regarded as one of the very finest Premier Crus. As expected from terroir guru Jean-Marc Brocard, this has oodles of character and emphasises its situational heritage. A fine combination of concentration, ripe tree fruits and a long, lingering aftertaste of stony, flinty minerality with high acidity thats keeps the palate fresh. Delightful.

Vaulorent has a privileged position as part of Fourchaume, but is located next to Grand Cru Preuses. Elegant, refined and precise, this is a lovely example which offers an insight into Grand Cru Chablis at an earlier window. Fine texture, a lovely balance between acidity, freshness and ultra-pure fruit, this is a lovely Premier Cru, already drinking well.

Vaupulent is part of Fourchaume, and although facing south/southwest, is slightly cooler than the wider Premier Cru. It is also known for not suffering from water-stress. This has an intriguing, intense, nose which promises so much and the palate does not disappoint. Lovely ripeness here, with apple and apricot fruit characters, a touch of spice, some floral notes and a long, driving, flinty aftertaste. Concentration on the palate is matched by freshness and purity. Could mistake this for a Grand Cru.

Bernard Defaix chooses to emphasise on the label that this fine wine is Chablis Premier Cru and 'Reserve' rather than focussing on the climat Côte de Lechet. It doesn't really matter as it is a lovely Chablis with extra complexity from additional time on lees and in barrel. The wood adds to the palate feel but never loses sight that this is Chablis through and through, with fine acidity to finish.

Rich, full-bodied, fleshy, smoky, toasty and very complex, this is a fine Fourchaume from Bernard Defaix. Despite the abundance of flavour on the palate the acidity keeps everything in check. Fresh and with excellent concentration, this is a Fourchaume to drink relatively early, or any time over the next five years.

Classic Montée de Tonnerre with some driving mineral notes and firm acidity to keep the ripe fruit in balance. Very elegant with stony, flinty notes on the aftertaste adding an extra dimension to the pristine tree-fruit flavour. Drinking well already but with a long future ahead.

Domaine Schaller is a family estate in Prehy, run by Laurent and his son, Camille. This is another lovely example of Vau de Vey with a sunny character, bright and pure apple fruit on the palate, but a driving mineral structure which promises a great future ahead. Salty and savoury on the finish, this is a fine example of the climat.

A relatively recent estate - Celine's father is Jean-Marc Brocard, whilst Frederic worked at Domaine Durup. A classy Vosgros with ripeness of stone fruit allied to an intriguing fennel/herb character on the palate. Fleshy, with plenty of warmth from the vintage, this is married with a tangy, flinty finish. A fine Premier Cru, drinkable already and with good concentration for further ageing.

It's always interesting to see the different expressions from the Dampt family. There seems to be additional richness and a bit more concentration on the palate compared to Sébastien's bottling. This is a refined, regal example with a fine balance between fruit density, freshness, ripeness and lingering acidity to finish. All of the components are in very good balance. Drinking well already but will also age very well.

Vau de Vey is perhaps not top of most consumer lists when asked for the key Premier Cru sites, yet it is widely regarded as having outstanding potential. With steep-sided valleys and protection from all but the morning sun, it's a Premier Cru with loads of fresh, mineral, bright citrus characters. Domaine des Malandes has succeeded in capturing the essence of Vau de Vey. This is already appealing but will age very well for at least five years (and beyond).

Part of the wider Montmains Premier Cru, Butteaux is situated on the top of the hill, located on sparse Kimmeridgian soil with the presence of the much-vaunted blue clay. In 2019, the exposure of this site has added an extra layer of richness to the palate. Fine acidity keeps the wine in balance with purity of fruit very evident. Lots of concentration for further ageing. A fine Premier Cru, appealing now but with much more to come.

Domaine Roy is located in the north-east of Chablis, in Fontenay. This is a mineral, tense, expression of Vaulorent with some stony, flinty notes on the palate. Needs a little time but will blossom into a very fine Premier Cru with apple fruit characters and a touch of spice.

Wholly owned by leading producer Samuel Billaud, this is a fine expression of the benchmark Montée de Tonnerre Premier Cru. Elegant yet relatively forward, this shows a great combination of purity, depth and classic terroir stony notes. 20% oak adds to the complexity on the palate.

Sébastien Dampt set up his domaine in 2007, but still works very closely with his father Daniel and brother Vincent. With 7ha of vines, Sebastien produces very pure Chablis in Milly, his Vaillons coming from steep, east-facing slopes on very chalky soils, with an average vine age of 60 years. This Vaillons has extremely good concentration and a steely edge, promising a long future. Acidity is encouraged by Dampt and although evident, is balanced with the density of the wine.

Rich in colour, quite fleshy on the palate but with enough acidity to keep everything in check, this is an intriguing third interpretation of the Côte de Léchet as seen by the Dampt family. A bit less dramatic than Daniel Dampt's bottling, this is still highly-appealing with character and the ability to age very well.

Alain Besson's children Adrien and Camille now manage this 21ha estate. They own 5ha in Montmains with a proportion of the wine spending eight months in wood. A warm, appealing and inviting example, with mineral/flinty characters to balance the sunny fruit ripeness. A nicely chiselled example with more drive and verve than some other Montmains tasted.

Domaine Laroche traces its beginnings back to AD867. This high-quality example of Premier Cru Chablis Vieilles Vignes shows purity of fruit, density of flavour and some subtle, judicious, oak maturation adding some extra layers of complexity. With a mineral aftertaste, this also has intriguing hints of honey and lemon curd on the nose and palate.

The Seguinot family roots in Maligny date back to 1590. Run by Jean-François, this is a dynamic estate producing some classic Chablis. On the nose, this could only be Chablis, with a restrained palate showing some prominent acidity. Not a blockbuster style but one with precision and a fine line of concentration, revolving around mineral characters. Elegant, fine and long. A very classy example of Fourchaume from vines that average 50 years old.

Charly Nicolle is the seventh generation winemaker at this Fleys domaine. Old vines (50-60 year old) have led to this appealing Les Fourneaux with precise acidity and a distinct mineral thread to balance the ripeness of white peach and green apple on the palate. Drinking well already, this will benefit from at least a further six months in bottle. Finishes with a fresh, zesty aftertaste.

The Collet family involvement in the region dates back to 1792, with the domaine created in 1952 and now covering 40ha. This is clean, fresh, concentrated and complex on the palate, showing all the anticipated characters of power, allied with stony/mineral notes and ripe, pure fruit flavours. A high proportion has been aged in wood with the subtle oak influence adding length and layers of flavour to the finish.

Very much a family affair with daughter Stephanie now managing the domaine with husband Vincent Michelet. Floral, with concentration on the palate and bright acidity. Mont de Milieu is one of Chablis' top climats and this shows through a fine combination of sunny ripeness and classic Chablis terroir. This classy example will only develop positively with age.

Tank sample. This bottle has sat for almost two weeks before being tasted but still has plenty of freshness underneath. A complex, vibrant and appealing Forêts, which has character and will age very well. Concentrated fruit character with vibrant acidity and some subtle mineral/floral notes to finish.

Warm, fleshy, smooth and luscious fruit on the palate, underpinned with Chablis-like acidity. Not the most complex example of Montmains at the moment, there is some terroir influence starting to show here with some stony, mineral flavours to finish. Citrus fruits and a fine citrus line on the long aftertaste.

Domaine de Vauroux, located between Courgis and Prehy, produces classic Chablis, with the vines planted from 1972 by Olivier Tricon. Powerful acidity is immediately apparent, with attractive, ripe fruit rather dominated at the moment. Vauroux's Montée de Tonnerre normally develops to be one of the climat's top bottles, so I have little doubt this is just a phase. The score reflects future potential.

A rich, lees and barrel-aged style of Vaillons - very typical of most of the wines from Bernard Defaix. Fresh and vibrant with density on the palate, and plenty of acidity to keep everything in check. Long flavour with some saline notes allied to warming spice on the finish.