2024 Domaine Moreau Naudet "Pargues"

Sourced from vines planted in 1947, the 2024 Chablis Pargues opens with aromas of nashi pear, lime peel and peach, leading into a medium- to full-bodied wine that is ample yet vibrant, defined by a crisp core of fruit, racy acids and a long, saline finish. It is vinified predominantly in tank, with 30% raised in oak. This estate has seen no less than five generations, but it only marketed its first bottles in 1991. Today, Virginie Moreau presides over this 25-hectare domaine following the premature passing of Stéphane Moreau in 2016. The order of the day is organic farming (though without certification, which allows for the use of stronger treatments in more challenging vintages), harvesting ripe yet clean fruit cropped at modest yields and with extended maturation—18 months on the lees in a combination of used oak barrels (mostly 228-liter, averaging 10 years old) and stainless steel, with final settling in tank for two to four weeks. After a series of sunny vintages, Virginie has started to vinify more wine in tank (Montmains and Valmur are now matured entirely in stainless steel), as she believes this helps retain more of the classically Chablisien signatures. (KK)