I can't get enough of 2021 Chablis. Quite literally. The crop was tragically tiny, and there's just not much to go around. Fortunately the wines are fabulous.
If the weather patterns during the growing season of 2021 had occured just 20 years earlier, we would be looking at a very different vintage for Chablis. In a relatively short period of time the wide dissemination of viticultural knowledge has made it possible for dedicated growers to harvest excellent fruit under just about any conditions, and in a borderline disastrous year like 2021, we can find many gorgeous wines. I am of the opinion that the 2021 vintage of Chablis is something very special, something to take advantage of where possible.
We haven't seen a classic cool vintage like 2021 since 2014, and the best wines are models of elegance and cut. On the one hand, I can deal with heavier fruitier wines from hot vintages, as the best growers always seem to be able to express terroir and typicity to some degree. On the other hand, I can't get enough acid and minerality in my Chablis, and for that you can't have too much heat and sun. I know many of you feel the same way. So we look out for cool vintages when they come.
Many of you know Gueguen's wines. They are stalwarts here at Craft and Cru, representing incredible values from a region where prices have skyrocketed. Today we offer an excellent premier cru Chablis that is less expensive than many village level wines. I would go long on this one, and serve it to your most discerning wine loving friends with confidence.
Gueguen Chablis 1er cru Vosgros 2021 - $40
Aromas of lemon, crisp yellow apple, and some sweeter fruits like yellow cherry and quince, plus classic notes of seabreeze and petrichor, as well as delectable hints of white pepper and white flowers (apple blossom, hawthorn...). On the palate it is medium-bodied and complex, almost silky, as layers of fruit and minerality meld beautifully, but the acidity is strong and keeps it from opulence, rather it has a sort of delicious austerity. The long complex finish turns tart, salty, and stony after the significant fresh fruit fades. This will be worth following at least 5 years.
As usual this wine with discount with other wines in a mix: 10% off 6 bottles, or 12% off 12 bottles.
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