One of the great things about whites like these is that they are extremely versatile. They go with a range or food preparations and are perfect for just casual drinking. Chablis, for example, begs for another sip—kind of like a palate-teaser. But it is these two facets combined, that demonstrate the complete picture of their versatility: they’re great segue wines. Start with them as you would a cocktail, and bring them to the table. This way you can experience your own similar, fanciful musing: they remind me of sitting on the patio after setting the picnic table, cleaning the grill and waiting for the last “clank” of serving spoon against the dinner plate. The smells of the grill and a wine-butter-garlic bouquet is wafting through the summer breeze. As the sun leisurely lowers itself behind the tree line, everything is just a bit cooler, calmer. Or perhaps that’s just the wine I’m sipping, playing its part.
2001 Henri Boillot Saint Romain, $36
Slightly toasty, matchstick nose. Elegant, yet silky. Palate shows very nice pear and cooked Macintosh apple, with a dense core. Tasting this wine is a well-priced way to pique your interest towards more of Boillot’s high-end pedigree.
2005 Marc Colin Meursault Les Narvaux, $43
Colin is more known for Chassagne, so here’s a great price on Narvaux, probably the next appellation to be 1er cru. A bit creamier, with lemon accents and other ‘less acidic’ orchard fruit. Good concentration through the vibrant finish.
2005 Long-Depaquit Chablis Les Vaillons 1er Cru, $25
Nicely forward for such young Chablis. That and a heftier mid-palate make it utterly drinkable now. The acid lifts up on the finish with lemongrass and triple-sec. I would suggest that this is a top 10 value at Vinfolio.
2003 Raveneau Chablis Les Forets 1er Cru, $49
A great price having just gone on sale, the wine from this widely-collected producer is still classic Raveneau—a nose that reminds me of a mojito; a mineral frame with a textured, supple middle palate. The warmer vintage gives it a bit more forward nature and more stuffing. It’s all there though, along with a bit of classic-Chablis flint on the finish.
