Starting with a whisper of reduction, as it did last year, this shows an intense array of savory flavors; white and green peppercorns, celery and quinine. The palate tacks on an earthy dimension. The bracing tension and clean, dry finish is smartly offset by a pillowy, mid-palate roundness. I want this in my cellar!

Note: from a huge 4.5 ha parcel located in Chapelot. A classic Chablis nose freely offers up its combination of citrus, iodine, mineral reduction, white flower and a background whiff of phenolic character. The notably denser middle weight flavors possess good volume and a succulent mouthfeel before terminating in a dry, youthfully austere and impressively persistent finale. This is really quite classy and one to consider buying. *Burghound Outstanding!*

The 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is more tightly knit and simultaneously slightly less demonstrative than Vaillons, exhibiting aromas of lemon confit, Granny Smith apple, orange peel and white flowers. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, concentrated and vibrant, with a tightly coiled profile and a long, chalky finish. It is one of Michel’s sites that suffered least from frost and hail in 2024. Guillaume Michel presides over this 25-hectare estate, with most of the land located in the historic part of Chablis. This estate has long been a reference point for tank-fermented and -matured Chablis, a style that the Michel family helped to popularize in the 1980s. Intense and tensile wines are the calling card here, pure and unadorned in style.(KK)