2023 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau

Fabien Moreau welcomed me to his winery’s tasting room, where he prepared samples from both 2022 and 2023 as usual. “On the volume side, the 2023 vintage is very nice,” he told me. “It is the fourth time in 21 vintages with my father that we made what you call a ‘full harvest’. It was the same volume as in 2011. It was the first vintage without frost or hail, and we had rain at the right period. Flowering took place at the end of June, and afterward, it was very dry, but there was enough water to achieve maturity with 40mm of rain around August 25. We started picking September 11 after two very hot weeks, which helped in terms of concentration, although acidity tumbled away quickly. We cropped 60 to 68hl/ha and sorted the juice under the press, getting rid of the finale rich in potassium as I don't like to acidify at all.” Comparing the two vintages, I err toward 2022 over 2023; the former is just imbued with a little more tension and complexity, although hats off to their Clos des Hospices 2023, which has a seductive leesy finish.