360 degrees of Chardonnay, Two Sides of Chablis
There is no place in the wine world quite like Chablis. It is a mono-varietal, monomaniacal town. Everywhere you look, it's Chardonnay. No appellation on earth is so completely, so singularly defined by one grape.
From just about any point in town, you're surrounded 360 degrees by some of the most prized Chardonnay on the planet. That was precisely the view I had when I visited Bègue-Mathiot — standing at the very edge of where the modest town gives way to premier cru vineyards, on a slight rise with the whole panorama laid out in front of me.
The winery itself isn't much to look at — a gray metal shed. But the location is something else entirely.
Inside, the approach is just as unassuming. Stainless steel tanks, not an oak barrel in sight. It's the kind of winemaking that requires flawless execution, with nothing to hide behind — Purity reigns supreme. In a line up, each bottling, each vineyard sines through with its own personality, and this is where Guylhaine’s winemaking excels. Honestly, each of the wines that Begue-Mathiot produces are paragons of their source. But the day following my visit, it was these two wines the stuck with me most.
Chablis 1er Cru
Vaillons 2023
Vaillons sits on the left bank of the Serein, (behind the metal-clad winery) catching the morning sun on southeast-facing slopes. It's the more precise, restrained side of Chablis — lean and mineral, but balanced with tropical and bright citrus fruits, full of energizing tension and a finish that lingers. Classic left-bank Chablis from a superb vintage. $37 ($42 reg.) - 60 bottles available
Chablis 1er Cru
Fourchaume VV 2023
Fourchaume is on the right bank, north of town (visible in the distance from the winery), with a south and southwest exposure that brings more warmth and ripeness than most premier crus. It's the site some argue deserves Grand Cru status — and tasting this, you understand why. The old vines, with an average age around 50 years old, only add to the depth. More generous and intense than the Vaillons, with stone fruit and a saline, crushed oyster shell quality on the finish. An supremely elegant and pure expression of Chablis. $41 ($47 reg.) - 60 bottles available
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Chablis doesn't need much of an introduction at this point. But the good ones — the ones from growers who actually understand their land — are worth paying attention to. These two, from the excellent 2023 vintage, are prime examples. Guylhaine has set aside just 5 cases of each of these, and they are coming our way as we speak.