Wine Advisor
Moreau Naudet, Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2021
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Wafting from the glass with attractive aromas of pear, orange zest, white flowers and freshly baked bread, the 2021 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons is medium to full-bodied, with an elegantly satiny attack that segues into a layered core of bright fruit, concluding with a saline, perfumed finish. It's produced from four of this large premier cru's climats.
About the Producer
Stéphane Moreau took over his family's winery in the 1990s and has elevated it to one of Chablis' top producers over the past 20 years. A dedicated artisan, Stéphane applies pre-industrial farming techniques to produce truly unique wines, many of which come from vines that are more than 50 years old. He uses balanced and ripe grapes to avoid many of the signature green flavors of classic Chablis. For this reason, he is often one of the newest pickers, but selects only the healthiest grapes. Stéphane farmed his land organically and as a vineyard, his star was burning brightly but quickly extinguished. He died before the 2016 vintage and his wife, Virginie Moreau, now continues his legacy. She is respecting and developing his winemaking practices, staying true to the essence of the estate. Virginie's methods are very similar to some of the best growers in Burgundy. She plows the vineyards, practices organic viticulture, harvests by hand, presses the whole berries, uses natural yeasts, and uses only a small amount of sulfur. She demonstrates superb cellar work, using oak barrel lifting in an intelligent way to avoid any oaky flavors in the wine. Virginie uses steamed barrels rather than charred, reserving new oak for straight Chablis, and even then in a very limited way. As a result, her wines are full of provocation, texture and complexity.
