2017 Chablis Les Forêts 1er Cru

I was so pleased to find Antonio Galloni waxing lyrical about Domaine Servin in last year’s report. This producer seems to fly under the radar of many Chablis aficionados and deserves more credit. Australian-born Marc Cameron is a talented winemaker with an enviable array of parcels under his charge. Moreover, through first-hand experience I can vouchsafe that they age extremely well. You will find Cameron’s candid views on the vintages in the main introduction, so I will not dwell on that here. Suffice to say that I found Servin’s 2019s a nose in front of their 2018s due to more pinpoint terroir expression and greater tension. Readers should also look out for bottlings under Cameron’s own name that come from his own vines located in the Côtes d’Auxerre and you will find them included in this report.

Winemaker and Export Manager Marc Cameron showed me a wide range of wines during my most recent visit to Servin. Fans of the domaine will find two strong back to back vintages in the 2018s and 2017s. I often wonder why I don’t hear more buzz about the Servin wines, as they really are terrific. The 2018s are going to be easy to drink, while the 2017s are likely to require a bit of cellaring. One of my favorite wines in the range is the Chablis Les Pargues, a village-level wine that carries itself with real class and distinction.

Servin is often overlooked by Chablis-lovers although I have a lot of time for their wines and for Australian-born winemaker Marc Cameron. Much of the production is sold in Japan, where the Servin name has a loyal following. The domaine has a wide range of Premier and Grand Crus that often repay bottle age, proven by a 1997 Chablis Les Clos that was just singing when recently tasted. That particular vineyard is usually their best wine, although do check out their Chablis Vieilles Vignes “Sélection Massale” as a keenly priced entry point to the Domaine. Readers should note that Marc Cameron make his own wine under the “Sonia & Marc Cameron” label in Bourgogne-Tonnerre, which I include in the “Irancy and St.-Bris” report that will be published in the coming weeks.