2019 White Burgundy Previews with Goedhuis & Co.

A selection of 2019 White Burgundy Previews with Goedhuis & Co.

These wines are all previews ahead of the Goedhuis & Co. 2019 Burgundy EP release in December.  Only a few of the wines have prices right now, but if you like the sound of any of these, do contact Goedhuis directly – all of the numbers and email addresses are below.

Billaud Simon – all tank samples

Chablis, Billaud-Simon 

Extremely expressive already, the nose is perfectly pure and resonant and the palate is relaxed, soothing and clean.  The acidity is tense but not intrusive, acting as a full stop after the sleek flavour.  Perfectly balanced, this is a delightful village wine. 17/20 (on release – 2023)

Chablis, 1er Cru Les Vaillons, Billaud-Simon

With a chalky, citrus attack, this is a firm wine with a mineral edge which brings a dramatic sourness to the flavour.  Edgy and lean there is a raspy note here which makes the mouth water.  The fruit is mountain-stream-fresh and there is a coolness which is extremely enticing. 17.5/20 (2022 – 2027)

Chablis, 1er Cru Mont de Milieu, Billaud-Simon

Broader, seemingly riper and ever so slightly exotic by comparison to the more angular Les Vaillons, this is a relaxed and charming wine with a forward-drinking feel.  Attractive and smooth, this precocity is beguiling and it means that you may well miss the finish which is sneakily loaded with cleansing acidity. A great balance between sexiness and tension, this is a superb wine. 18/20 (2022 – 2028)

Chablis, 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre, Billaud-Simon

The drawbridge is up and the portcullis is firmly down, giving MdT a rather closed and introverted feel. There is little obvious fruit here but a mass of body and after this a wave of acidity which is waiting to pounce. I feel for unprepared palates approaching this wine and expecting a genial conversation, because MdT will most likely tell you to go forth…   Having said this, there is nobility beneath the shimmering surface. The scale of flavour here is delivered with good grace and with stunning precision. This will be a long-lived wine which will emerge stealthily from its lair when it, not you, is ready. 18+/20 (2024 – 2030)

Chablis, Grand Cru Valmur, Billaud-Simon

Immediately, this is a more muscular wine than the Premier Crus, as one would expect, but it is showing a goodly amount of fruit, by contrast to MdT.  Zesty, tangy, dynamic and very long, there is some fun to be had here and I think that Valmur might kick off earlier in its life than usual in 2019.  The fragrance is floral, bright, citrus-soaked and apple-orchard-tinged and this gives it a freshness and vivacity which is often lacking in GC Chablis.  The acidity is chalky and powdery but not severe and this makes the whole package very welcoming indeed. 18/20 (2023 – 2030)

Chablis, Grand Cru Vaudésir, Billaud-Simon

Looking suitably Grand, this is a more statuesque creation with obvious flair and a little more opulence than Valmur and this makes it a cut above if only because the fruit and impact are more obvious. The mid-palate is sleek and bright and this is the key to this wine’s success.  If this were fatter or heavier it would not have the momentum and bounce required on the palate.  But because this is such a toned creature its cadence is enlivening.  Not a massively long-lived wine but a very rewarding one, this is the top cuvée for B-S in 2019.  18.5/20 (2024 – 2032)

Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin

Chablis, Jean-Paul, Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin £174 per 12 IB

Delicious in every department with a fabulous floral nose, a keen attack, a plump midriff and a drama-packed finish. This wine tells an engaging story perfectly, as you might expect, and it also happens to be great value for money.  Finer than many Premier Crus from less starry Domaines, there is a volume of flavour coupled with a keen freshness which keeps this creation honest and lively.  It will drink well young, but try to hold off until it is three years old for it to fully blossom. 17.5/20 (2021 – 2025)

Chablis, 1er Cru Vaillons, Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin £126 per 6 IB

This is always a great wine and this 2019 is no exception.  As excitable as a Labrador puppy, Vaillons bounds up to you with the warmest of welcomes and is immediately a friend for life.  The fruit is broad-brushed, generous and plentiful and the finish is raspy, firm and commanding, as it should be, so that balance and accuracy are, thankfully, maintained. 18/20 (2021 – 2027)

Chablis, 1er Cru Montmains, Jean-Paul et Benoît Droin £144 per 6 IB

By contrast to Vaillons, Montmains is stern and unyielding.  This is the wine to buy to lay down while you polish off your Vaillons.  Rich, structured and fine, this is a fabulous wine with a very long, sophisticated finish. The balance between fruit and power is exquisite and while you are allowed enough of a peep behind the curtain, there is a whole performance yet to come.  This is a sensational Premier Cru with the build-quality and presence of a GC. 18+/20 (2023 – 2030)

Domaine Pinson Frères

Chablis, Domaine Pinson Frères

There is no messing around here as Pinson rolls a bowling ball of flavour at your palate with some considerable heft knocking your taste buds over with ease. Not a complex wine nor a particularly long one, this bottle makes up for a lack of finesse with effort and impact. Forward, hearty, rewarding and accurate, this is a decent effort for thirsty Chablis fans. 16.5/20 (now – 2023)

Chablis, 1er Cru Montmain, Domaine Pinson Frères

A change of pace for Pinson’s Premier Crus, as all of the attack that the village wine had, is now dissipated along a much more considerable runway of flavour and this suits Montmain perfectly. Not a detailed wine but a decent one, there is a measured approach here which suits this style and it will afford pleasurable if not electrifying drinking over the next five or so years. 17/20 (now – 2025)

Chablis, 1er Cru Fourchaume, Domaine Pinson Frères

Suave and honed, this is a step up on Montmain in terms of its billowy texture and sleek lines. There is polish here both in terms of its layered flavour and also its length. Deliciously ripe and soothing, this is a cracker for relatively early drinking. 17.5/20 (2022 – 2026)

Chablis, 1er Cru Mont-de-Milieu, Domaine Pinson Frères

More backward and sinewy than Fourchaume, this is Pinson’s attempt at making a longer-lived, more powerful wine and I have to say that I far prefer Fourchaume’s tenderness and welcoming flavours than I do Mont-de-Milieu’s hard exoskeleton and unyielding fruit.  I understand that there is sometimes a hierarchy in a Domaines’ Premier Crus but, in this instance, I feel that this vineyard should have been left to its own devices and not overworked in the winery and this might have resulted in a more expressive and delicious wine. 17+/20 (2023 – 2028)

Isabelle et Denis Pommier

Chablis Isabelle et Denis Pommier

There is a touch of lime and pine here which gives this wine a piercingly fresh and cool attack. The palate barely fills out as it continues its javelin-shaped assault. Slender, lean and green, this is a pointy number for relatively early drinking. It already feels like it is calling for a plateau de fruits de mer!  16.5/20 (now – 2025)

Chablis, 1er Cru Côte de Léchet, Isabelle et Denis Pommier

Grainy and active on the palate, this is a chewy wine with structure and girth. There is fresh acidity on the finish and this pulls it all into line and lengthens proceedings, but the mid-palate is where much of the action is and this makes Côte de Léchet a rather excitable and ebullient wine. 17/20 (now – 2025)

Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

Mâcon-Villages, Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

Broad, rich and fairly powerful, there is a lot of wine here and it is surprisingly full.  It lacks finesse and delicacy, but that is not surprising because this is a session white Burgundy from a great producer and it is priced perfectly for us all to get involved. 16.5/20 (2022 – 2025)

Mâcon-Chardonnay, Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

Immediately prettier and more expressive than the Villages wine, here we can see a more slender chassis with more pronounced acidity and energy.  This is a nicely balanced wine with flair and style and in this respect, it looks rather enticing.  There is a welcome JMB feel about it, too, which makes it all the more attractive. 17/20 (2022 – 2025)

Mâcon-Lugny, Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

There is a little more obvious fruit sweetness here which makes this an easy wine to enjoy and I imagine that this juiciness will certainly appeal to all comers.  The most obviously forward of the collection of Mâcons, this is a fresh, peachy, orchard blossom style which tiptoes nicely around the palate but at the end of the day, it is a little forgettable. 17/20 (on release – 2024)

Mâcon-Chardonnay, Le Berceau, Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

Rather powerful and four-square, this is a wine with its feet firmly implanted in the dirt and there is little room for fruit here as the girders of minerality are holding court. I sense that there is some fruit cowering in the corner but it is not brave enough to come out and converse. I imagine that Boillot is trying to make a long-lived, grand wine here, but perhaps I am missing the point. 17+/20 (2023 – 2027)

Mâcon-Chardonnay, Les Busserettes, Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

Les Busserettes works far better than Le Berceau on both the nose and palate for me. There is finesse here and some attractive floral tones, too, and the palate is elongated and more willowy than Le Berceau’s chunky aftertaste.  This wine needs time to unravel and when it does I can sense that there will be some fun to be had.  17.5+/20 (2023 – 2028)

Puligny-Montrachet, 1er Cru, Les Referts, Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

Epic nose and beautifully proportioned, this is a stunning wine with delicious minerality and a heroic finish. It is all too easy to see how this wine will blossom given time. The fruit is sensational, controlled and multi-faceted. The length is rather amazing and it shows that JMB is a master in this vineyard.  18.5+/20 (2025 – 2032)

Goedhuis & Co. contact details

London +44 (0) 20 7793 7900 or Hong Kong  +852 2801 5999 or by email at the addresses below

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