2018 Chablis Vaillons
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Tasting notes
An admirably pure nose offers up aromas of various white-fleshed fruit, mineral reduction and lemon rind. There is reasonable volume and richness to the caressing yet punchy and powerful flavors that brim with minerality that carries over to the tension-filled, dry and balanced finale. This isn't super-dense though I very much like the intensity and overall, this is a wine that should reward mid-term keeping.
Critic scores
Average Score
Allen Meadows, Burghound
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Wafting from the glass with aromas of golden orchard fruit, honey comb, confit citrus, oatmeal and crisp green apple, Dauvissat's 2018 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a generous core of fruit, lively acids, and a long, saline finish. This is an unusually demonstrative, fruit-driven Vaillons from Dauvissat, though it does retain plenty of Chablisien character.
From a warmer terroir, the 2018 Chablis Vaillons offers a racy, mineral-laced, even salty style that has lots of pear and stone fruits as well as notes of white flowers, iodine, and honeysuckle. Playing in the medium-bodied end of the spectrum, it has good (maybe not great) concentration, racy yet integrated acidity, and beautiful balance. Again, the minerality and salinity on the palate are something, and it benefits markedly from air, showing at its best on day two. A solid 3-4 years of bottle age are warranted, and it should evolve for a decade or more.
The 2018 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru is such a gorgeous wine. Specifically, the 2018 expresses the natural richness of the year and yet retains a good bit of freshness and focus as well. Creamy, silky and pulsing with energy, the Vaillons has so much to offer. Lemon confit, white flowers and mint are beautifully laced together throughout.