Wine Advisor
Moreau Naudet, Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2023
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Kristaps Karklins
Sourced from 60- to 77-year-old vines in four of this premier cru's climats, including Séchet, Moreau-Naudet’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons is vinified 70% in tank, with the remainder in oak (old 228-liter barrels and a few 600-liter foudres). Opening from the glass with an expressive bouquet of tangerine zest, white flowers, pear and oyster shell, it’s followed by a medium to full-bodied palate with ample chalky extract and a saline finish. It’s broader than Beauregard but simultaneously racier than Montmains.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2023 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru has a backward nose that's old school in style with green apple, undergrowth and crushed stone aromas. There's something uncompromising here, which I like. The palate is well balanced with a keen line of acidity, a pleasant edginess and a brisk, citrus peel-tinged finish that gently fans out. It's not bad, though this needs a little more nervosité. Tasted blind at the BIVB offices in Chablis.
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.
