2014 Domaine Charly Nicolle Chablis Les Fourneaux 1er Cru 750 ml

The Time is Now. 2014 Chablis

A word to the wise: If you’re enamored with Chablis — especially the rare vintages when the villages produce Chardonnay with the ever-elusive balance of clean, ripe fruit and chisel-cut acidity — don’t MISS OUT on the phenomenal 2014s.

We’ve mentioned this before, and we’ll say it again: 2014 is one of finest vintages for white Burgundy that we’ve ever tasted. And it’s not just a localized phenomenon — it’s throughout the entire region, from as far north as Chablis to as deep down south as the Mâcon. We feel like it’s our duty to make this clear: When we taste widely and get a bulls-eye read on a vintage, we shout it from the mountaintop to our members. Stephen Tanzer called 2014 “clearly a vintage to buy.” And we couldn’t agree more — go deep on the 2014s!

Chablis could possibly be the brightest star in the entire 2014 white Burgundy constellation. The cool, long growing season of 2014 was perfect for the slow development of ripe, healthy grapes with high natural acidity. The 2014s boast a combination of aromatic freshness, pure flavors of citrus and stone fruits, and high-toned notes of flowers, fresh herbs, saline minerality and long finishes. You’d have to go back to the vintages of 2002, 1996, and 1985 to find overall vintage quality that comes close.

Domaine Charly Nicolle is a family estate dating back to 1780. Today the 64-acre estate is run entirely by the young and iconoclastic Charly, the seventh generation of his family to make wine on the estate. Charly spent his entire youth following his father around the vineyards like a basset hound; that’s how he learned the craft of winemaking. That dogged determination has led to high accolades throughout the world of wine, especially in the U.S. (though the wines have only been available here for two years). Surveying the Chablis scene, the Wall Street Journal singled out Charly as a “rising star” and “producer of note.”

The 2014 Charly Nicolle Chablis Premier Cru “Les Fourneaux” is sourced from a 15-acre plot with 60-year-old vines. The site is densely packed with the famed Kimmeridgian marl soils, found across the best vineyard sites of Chablis. This soil, made up of ancient marine fossils, is rocky and porous with a high limestone content, which contributes to the saltiness and stinging minerality of the wine. The color is pale yellow-green, with aromas of pink grapefruit and sea air minerality and a top note of white pepper. The palate is pure and taut with intense flavors of lime, crushed rock, and fresh-cut herbs. Finishes classy with a mouthwatering, salty, chalky mouthfeel. Drink now to 2020.

White Burgundy lovers unite! The 2014s are an amazing, classic vintage of wines where the prices are still reasonable — for now. Just 100 cases of river-water pure Charly Nicolle Premier Cru Chablis have made it stateside. $45 on release. $29 today only on WineAccess. If you love real Chablis, DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY.