There's nothing more thrilling in wine than discovering a great new grower. Except when it's discovering a great new grower in a great vintage. Which is exactly what happened when we tasted Sebastien Christophe's 2019 Chablis Vieilles Vignes.

Sebastien is our kind of grower. He's built his little domaine in the ten years since he graduated from wine school, farming sustainably, harvesting by hand (still a big deal in Chablis), fermenting with native yeasts, and aging in steel (with a little bit of used oak).

But reading about him didn't prepare us for how much we would like the wines. Each one is a chiseled expression of the Kimmeridgian soil complemented by almost surprisingly delicious fruit.

The old vine bottling we're offering today especially stood out. It has the mineral notes you want from Chablis, with a hint of sea breeze (some people say that comes from the ancient fossilized seashells in the soils).

But it isn't in any way an austere wine. The vintage probably helps — 2019 is turning out to be at least as good a white wine vintage as 2017 and probably 2014. And the old vines give the wine a concentration  and depth that just become more pronounced with air.

But there's no question that Sebastien himself should be credited for the success. He's clearly a great young winemaker and we can't wait to see where he goes from here.

We're thrilled to be able to introduce him to you today! 

Domaine Christophe et Fils, Chablis Vieilles Vignes, 2019