Domaine Besson Chablis Vaillons Premier Cru 2024

This is a gorgeous 100% Chardonnay from Burgundy’s Chablis region, aged mostly in stainless steel. Gleaming gold color, a palate that starts as round as a melon and closes with bone-dry elegance… yes, we’re back with one of our favorite French white discoveries! 

Domaine Besson is a small Burgundy house led by the wonderful Camille Besson, a fourth-generation winemaker whose Chablis stands up to the very best. She pressed her 2024 harvest from the premier cru site of Vaillons very slowly and gently, then fermented the juice in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks (and a traditionally scant 8% in oak barrel). Given that Chablis is one of the world’s most desired food pairing wines, and one of Burgundy’s most underpriced iterations of Chardonnay… this is a very smart buy indeed!

The wine is so pretty in the glass. It has that honey-gold hue with a kind of inexplicable internal glow that makes you ponder chemistry and magic. Tilt the glass to your nose and you’re met with gracefully bracing quince and slate. Tip it into your mouth and you find ripe, sleek Galia melon held in check by tart-sweet Meyer lemon peel. Tangerine and papaya roll up against firm Bartlett pear and razor-sharp green apple. An electric undercurrent of acidity keeps it all balanced, and a little crushed oyster shell and acacia blossom bring shading to this crisp, delicate drink. The finish is very dry, elegantly chalky – again, ideal for melding with food and simply for making you want another sip. 

If you’re old enough to remember the Carter administration, you know Chablis’ reputation in the US was marred for decades by cheap imitations. But among sommeliers and French white lovers, the real thing is prized as one of the purest expressions of Chardonnay you can experience – not oaky, not buttery, just that beautiful fresh fruit sprung from Kimmeridgian limestone soils. Plan your oyster night! Or if you’re not an oyster person, a simple roast chicken would be perfect.