Pungent, fresh and intense – without sight of the label you could be forgiven for being unsure if it were a Grand Cru or not. This wine was singing, so much so that (pouring for three people) it was almost gone in a flash. A little was left in the bottle which was left in the fridge – a full five days later, because of travelling, I returned to the remaining half glass. I expected to be throwing it down the sink; instead it went down my throat with enjoyment – not even a hint of development or oxidation – bravo! And that was without a seal of any kind in the neck.

More evolved – bottle was changed. Fresher with a hint of seashore. Fuller. surprisingly the acidity is more understated yet the finish is bigger than 08.

The nose is narrower but shows muscle and minerals. Good sweetness, certainly more mineral than 09, I slightly prefer the finish too.

High tones, some minerals, otherwise rather understated. Round and quite full, rich but the flavour is excellent and mouth-watering. Long too.

Pale greeny-yellow. The nose is a faint biscuit with a wider white blossom impression above, and is edged with a just enough citrus bite – just over the hour mark, the traditional salty impression of the sea-shore begins to poke through. Smooth, mineral acidity, slightly savoury impressions and this is really very long for a 1er cru. Genuine (not fruit-driven), great value Chablis, of the wiry and intense variety.

Medium golden colour. The nose has some high tones of green-skinned fruit that balances a honied base enough to retain a fresh impression. Width and a little sweet fat – the acidity is fresh though from time to time nearly spiky. The flavours are mineral, a little baked bread and a final salty tang. The finish is quite long and totally savoury.

A little savoury biscuit on the nose – it slowly fades to intimate more fruit. Forward but not unweildy acidity and a nice mid-palate punch. Very mineral and slowly lingering. A super, steely value Chablis.

Only the older parcels of vines go into this cuvée. A deeper nose, riper but tighter. This is softer but more concentrated with a nice burst of acidity on the mid-palate. I’ve always found this a good value wine, so I await pricing…

The number of bottles of this cuvée is reducing as the younger vines are now regularly going into a separate ‘1er cru’ cuvée. This left-bank wine is a mix of parcels focusing mainly on Epinottes and Séchet. The nose is understated and focused, the palate is sweet, with rather well concentrated flavours and a nice flavourful fruit-driven length. It’s a very nice wine – and always a very well priced bottling – but in this vintage, doesn’t really shout ‘Chablis!’ to me.