While we're very excited to be seeing the first of the very promising 2019 Burgundies, it has been sad to see all the incredible White Burgundies 2017 had to offer disappearing. It is such a great vintage and so many of them are really starting to hit their stride!

But if you keep your eyes peeled you can still find the occasional gem from late releasing producers, wines that are still young and fresh but no longer too young. And when I caught sight of a few cases of Roland Lavantureux' 2017 Chablis, I knew I needed to taste.

Lavantureux is one of the unsung heroes of Kermit Lynch's book.

Well, not totally unsung, of course. Kermit sings his praises; he says, "they are staff favorites year after year," although he is, literally, talking his own book. But Neal Martin wrote in Vinous that Lavantureux' 2018 Chablis "must surely be one of the finest Chablis Village of 2018." And if you read French, you'll find plenty of press ("Richesse et minéralité, vin fruité et équilibré: Goûtez à la typicité du Terroir Chablisien!" -- some French folks).

How good would his 2017 be? There were no reviews of the 2017 village wine, so I was on my own when I tasted it. But you don't need a weather man to know which way the wine blows, and I didn't need to read any critics to see that this was pure, classic Chablis.

Right away it had a vibrant nose, with high-toned fruit and a hint of smoke. And the palate did all the Chablis things: bright fruit up front, powerfully vibrant acidity through the mid-palate, and a finish that you only realize is profoundly mineral after a good long time.

Best of all, glasses a night and two nights later were just better and better. I don't think this is a wine to cellar for the long term. But there's also no need to rush it at all. Put some away!

I'm very happy to bring you this beautiful, late taste of the glorious 2017s. It won't be the very last of this class of white Burgundy, but it will be close. And while I bought everything that was available, that won't be enough to last long, so please don't wait to click through and order yours today with special pricing.

Roland Lavantureux Chablis, 2017

Kermit's most famous Chablis producer is, of course, Raveneau. And some of Lavantureux wines can remind you a bit of Raveneau, with exotic notes and a richness that frames a Chablisienne core.

But this wine isn't like that; it is purest, classic Chablis. He uses a small amount of old oak -- but it's never noticeable, never perceptible above all the deep Chablis character from the 30-year-old vines.

I don't know how many times I'm allowed to use the word "vibrant" in a blog, but I intend to use up my quota here. There is more vibrancy, dollar for dollar, in this wine than in anything else I've tasted in a while. Throw in a generous dollop of kimmeridgian minerality, bright lemon peel (which becomes almost lemon curd like by day three) and you've got a real treat of a wine.