2025 Christian Moreau Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons, Burgundy

The 2025 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru has a strict nose with touches of yellow fruit mixed with crushed stone and green apple. It gradually unfurls but keeps its foot on the brakes. The palate is wellbalanced with a peachy opening. In fact, I would mistake this for a Côte de Beaune (Chassagne?) if I were served this blind. Very harmonious on the finish, this should drink well for several years.

90-92 points Neal Martin, Vinous June 2026

Christian Moreau is one of the great historic names of Chablis, with the family’s roots in the region stretching back to 1814. Christian established the modern domaine in 2002 and was later joined by his son Fabien, who now plays a central role in the cellar. Their wines have earned a loyal following for their purity and restraint, with the character of each vineyard kept firmly in focus.

Vaillon sits on the left bank of the Serein, where the slopes are underpinned by Chablis’ distinctive Kimmeridgian limestone and fossil rich marl. This Premier Cru is prized for marrying generous fruit with the chalky, citrus driven character that defines good Chablis. The 2025 has an appealing youthful openness, but there is plenty of mineral structure beneath the fruit to suggest it will become considerably more complex with bottle age.

Pale straw with green highlights. Lemon zest, white peach and crisp green apple lead into grapefruit and white flowers, with oyster shell, fennel and crushed chalk appearing underneath. The palate is finely textured, with citrus and stone fruit through the middle, sharpened by bright acidity. Preserved lemon, fresh almond and chalk gather towards a long, dry finish with a mouthwatering saline edge.

Freshly shucked oysters would be hard to beat, alongside Hokkaido scallops with lemon butter, steamed coral trout, crab linguine or zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta. Our pick is the scallops, seared until golden and finished with lemon and just enough butter to meet the wine’s chalky acidity.

Cellaring: Drink from 2027 to 2038.