Courtault-Michelet Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 2022 (750ml) *

Valmur is one of Chablis' Grand Cru climats, and the wines that come from it are Chardonnay in its most mineral, unadorned register. This bottling from Courtault-Michelet is a 2022 rendering of that site, made without the tropical fruit or oak flourish you find further south in Burgundy, built instead on the cool, taut lines that define Chablis at the top of its hierarchy.

The nose is reserved to the point of shyness, with a slightly reductive edge that keeps its cards close. The palate opens with a bright twist of sour lemon, crisp and precise on entry, though it stays lean and linear rather than broadening across the finish. A wine of restraint more than expansiveness, one for drinkers who like their Chablis cut sharp and clean.