2024 Domaine Moreau Naudet Chablis 1er Cru Montmains

On same side of the t Serein river (but the opposite flank of the Valvan Valley) from Vaillons, Montmains has a distinctive, deep soil of bleu d’argile (blue clay) and plenty of limestone rocks. It’s a site that tends to produce textbook Chablis with great m inerality and verve. And you can add texture when you’re talking about a great grower with excellent vine age. In fact, this comes from 0.65 hectares of very old vines (70 years average age) in the lieux-dits of Les Monts Mains, Les Bouts des Butteaux and Vaux Miolot. The latter parcel on deeper, clay rich soils, is difficult to work, but brings additional flesh and texture. This year, it was vinified and aged without oak to maximise the freshness, which has worked a treat. The depth of the site is in the glass, but it is super fresh, balanced, and long. “The 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains, vinified in tank, opens with aromas of orange peel, nashi pear and mirabelle plum, followed by a medium- to full-bodied palate with a generous core of fruit underpinned by incisive acids, concluding with a long, sapid finish.” 90-92 points, Kristaps Karklins, The Wine Advocate “From ‘real’ Montmains, Vieux Moulot and Butteaux – No barrels used for this cuvée.Wide but still with some linear style – calm and chalky. Mouth-filling – another small step in chiselled shape but softer at the edges than the Vaillons today. The finish is really a width of chalky accented citrus – lovely…”Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report