2016 Chablis Montee de Tonnerre

The 2016 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre, which underwent 15 months in barrel, has a lovely dried honey and beeswax scented bouquet that gains intensity with aeration. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, fresh and vibrant with a tangy, saliva-inducing saline finish that feels very persistent. Excellent.

The 2016 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is showing very well, offering up a classy bouquet of lemon oil, iodine and oystershell that's framed by light reduction. On the palate, it's full-bodied, rich and textural—it was cropped at 25 hectoliters per hectare—but remains tense and tangy through the finish. Billaud notes that it was bottled earlier than usual to capture more freshness.

Chalky, dusty lemon fruit. Dry, chalky-chewy texture – all about texture even though it does not lack precise fruit. More depth than the Mont de Milieu, more persistent too but speaks very quietly at the moment. (JH)