This Chablis is pale yellow in colour with youthful reflections. The nose marries ripe citrus notes of lemon and lime with delicate blossom aromas. On the palate, it is well balanced with great intensity of flavour, a rich texture thanks to the lees ageing and a lingering finish. A great food pairing with seafood, white meats and cheeses!

About the Producer

Guillaume Vrignaud joined his family domaine in 1999. At the time, the Vrignauds were members of the cooperative winery in Chablis until Guillaume convinced his father to build a cellar and start making their own wines. The results were so successful that the domaine has since grown from 12 hectares of vines to 28 hectares today, all of which are organically farmed.

Domaine Vrignauds scrupulously clean cellar comprises primarily stainless-steel tanks, in which 90% of their wines are fermented. In 2005, they started using solely indigenous yeasts in their winemaking, which Guillaume believes gives the wines more fruit and minerality. Yet it is in the vineyard that Guillaume has made the most significant difference. The domaine has 12 parcels of Chablis vines spread over 14 hectares of 15 – 50-year-old vines, planted on three different soil types: Kimmeridgian, white clay, and Portlandian. “I think my best Chablis comes from a blend of all three soils,” Guillaume explains. To express the character of these vineyards in the finished wines, Guillaume pays close attention to picking times. “I pick when the seeds in the grape are brown but before any over-ripeness or botrytis has set in,” he explains. “I like my Chablis to be precise rather than fat and full.” Guillaumes village Chablis displays lovely lift and freshness on the nose, giving way to supple yet taut fruit on the palate, with a classic cut of acidity on the finish. The 2022 vintage was named ‘Fine White Wine of The Year’ at the 2024 Sommelier Wine Awards.

All of Guillaumes 1er Crus are aged before release, giving them a complexity that few of their peers can match. Like the rest of Guillaumes wines, they offer classic expressions of Chablis. The Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume has a lovely flinty character on the nose and is rich yet tight with striking length on the palate. Also from Fourchaume is the excellent Ctes de Fontenay, which hails from a part of this 1er Cru that is more south than southwest facing. Such was the fame of Ctes de Fontenay in the 16th century that it was known as La Grande Cte. Guillaume has just over a hectare of vines here and makes a perfumed wine that mingles scents of fennel and flowers before giving way to a precisely balanced palate.

The distinctive Premier Cru Fourchaume Les Vaupulans hails from a small parcel within the Fourchaume vineyard, with vines averaging 25 years old and planted on Kimmeridgian limestone. Les Vaupulans is oak-fermented (as signified by the brown label) and aged for 12 months in a mixture of stainless steel and 30% oak. It shows intensely concentrated fruit with a hint of spice and notes of mandarin and golden apple. The palate is textured and lifted by fresh acidity, culminating in a long, saline finish.

Vineyard and Winery

The grapes for the Vrignaud Chablis come from 14 hectares of vineyard on clay-limestone soils near the commune of Fontenay-Prs-Chablis. The vines are situated on south-east facing slopes, between 170-240 metres above sea level. The vines are 30 years old on average and double-cane pruned, resulting in fruit of great intensity and complexity of flavour. The vineyards are all farmed organically and became officially certified organic in September 2019.

2022 was a vintage that brought smiles back to Chablis winemakers and yields were around double those of the challenging 2021 vintage. After a milder and drier than normal winter, some spring frosts hit in March, fortunately damage was limited as buds had not yet burst in the vineyards. An exceptionally warm spring boosted growth with full flowering completed by the end of May. There was very little rainfall during the summer and disease pressure was low throughout the growing season. Some well-timed showers in August gave the vines a necessary boost to complete the final stages of ripening. The harvest took place in early September and the grapes harvested were of excellent quality. The wines produced have excellent balance and expressive fruit character.

Each plot was vinified separately. Fermentation occurred using natural yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. The wine was then aged on its lees, adding texture and complexity to the finished wine.