I love the fruit in this wine

—Jasper Morris MW, of Oudin's 2022 Chablis

If you want to see just how tasty 2022 Chablis has turned out to be, Oudin's beautiful village wine is the perfect place to start. Andy Howard MW's description of the "very fine vintage" is an equally apt description of Oudin's 2022: "combines the freshness of 2017/2021 with the warmth and ripeness of 2019/2020. Healthy grapes, plenty of acidity and attractive peach/pear fruit character – a fine vintage that balances generous ripeness with crisp citrus acidity and salinity. Will age well."

No surprise the Oudin sisters nailed the vintage. They've got the terroir, a combination of south-facing sites in the village of Chichée, where the famed Kimmeridgian marl is plentiful. And they farm sustainably, working for relatively lower yields. "Healthy grapes" is the norm chez Oudin, so it's no surprise their fruit is so banging in 2022.

The winemaking is old-fashioned — no technical razzle dazzle. The family is represented by Jenny & Francois, one of New York's top natural wine importers. And indeed, they minimize interventions (no oak, little if any sulfur) and only use natural yeasts. But this is all done to make a dialed-in and classically styled Chablis. There's nothing funky here.

We've been following the Oudin family's wines for years and have had the distinct pleasure of finding "lost" bottles in the cellar. Even so-so vintages have evolved beautifully with a 5+ years in the bottle. A vintage like 2022 will do great. So take advantage of our deeper pricing to get some bottles to drink now with oysters (or shrimp or chicken or salad or pork or...) and a few more to lay down as part of your reasonable cellar.

Domaine Oudin, Chablis, 2022 $33.99
From it's "proper chiselled bouquet" (again, in Jasper's words) to its very long for the level finish, this is delicious, classic Chablis: generous fruit, classic acidity, salinity/savouriness hinting at bitterness. So good with so many different foods it will remind you why proper Chablis is a classic in Parisian restaurants.

 

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