2024 Moreau-Naudet Valmur Chablis Grand Cru, Burgundy

Vinified in tank, the 2024 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur largely transcends the challenges of the vintage, unfurling in the glass with aromas of Granny Smith apple, nashi pear, orange oil and beeswax. The palate is full-bodied, multifaceted and racy, offering considerable depth and tension, before resolving in a long, lemon-inflected finish. Produced in a mere 750 liters—equivalent to 1,000 bottles—this cuvée represents just 60% of a typical year’s yield.”

92-94 points Kristaps Karklins, The Wine Advocate

The Valmur vineyard forms a small valley in the heart of the Grand Cru slope. It’s wedged between Vaudésir and Grenouilles to its left and Les Clos to its right. It’s a site that gets very cold in winter and hotter than average in summer, producing authoritative and intense wines of serious depth and power. Moreau-Naudet farms a 0.6-hectare parcel (worked by horse) planted in 1978. Situated next door to the vines of Raveneau, Moreau’s plot is cooler and more shaded. Combined with the steepness of the slope, this leads to the wine’s strong mineral, saline imprint, which shines through the waves of texture. Now vinified without oak, in small steel, barrel-shaped tanks, it offers wonderful tension to go with the profound depth and length. A Chablis worthy of comparison with top producer Côte de Beaune!

Moreau Naudet has become one of the most sought after domaines in Chablis. The late Stéphane Moreau shaped its modern identity through meticulous vineyard work, natural fermentations and long élevage, creating Chablis with texture and personality rather than simply austerity. Following his sudden death in 2016, his wife Virginie continued the domaine with enormous determination, maintaining the philosophy they had developed together. Valmur sits right at the pinnacle of the cellar.

Valmur occupies a natural amphitheatre in the heart of the Grand Cru slope, between Les Clos and Vaudésir. Its Kimmeridgian limestone and marl, rich in ancient marine fossils, give Chardonnay an extraordinary combination of power and mineral tension. The difficult, cooler 2024 season produced a much smaller crop across Chablis, but the best sites retained excellent concentration and acidity. Valmur has the depth to make that combination particularly compelling.

Pale luminous gold, initially restrained with lemon, white peach and crisp pear before grapefruit and preserved citrus begin to emerge. White flowers sit above oyster shell, crushed chalk and fresh almond, with a subtle smoky character appearing with air. The palate is concentrated and tightly coiled, with citrus and stone fruit wrapped around vibrant acidity and a formidable mineral core. Lemon oil, chalk and saline notes build steadily towards a long, precise finish.

Roast turbot with beurre blanc is luxurious enough to meet Valmur without drowning out its detail. Grilled marron with lemon butter, Hokkaido scallops, king crab or a delicate leek and Comté tart would also sit beautifully alongside. Keep the cooking relatively simple and let that combination of Chardonnay and ancient limestone do the heavy lifting.

Cellaring: Best from 2029, with potential to develop through 2045+.