2018 Albert Bichot Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis 750 ml

Imagine a hot Burgundy producer decreed by Vinous to be “now very clearly a name to watch in Chablis,” describing their 2018s as “incredibly exciting.” Picture a 31-year-old winemaker who managed to coax rave praise even from Burghound’s Allen Meadows, who pronounced today’s stunning white Burgundy effort to be “succulent” and “delicious.”

If you have a mental image of some upstart, obscure, cool-kid vigneron, think again. This is the level of excitement that Albert Bichot—one of the biggest, most successful, and long-established négociants in Burgundy—has been generating of late, and this must-have 2018 Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis shows why.

Only a domaine with the size, reach, and history of Albert Bichot could make Chablis like this, exuding charisma and finesse, for this incredible price. With Burgundy’s expensive land holdings and diminutive yields being what they are, other estates would have to charge at least twice as much to make it work on the back-end.

But the family-owned Albert Bichot, operating here since the 1800s, is one of the largest landowners in Chablis, farming 160 acres that produce six Grand Cru cuvées. This investment has made them one of the foremost specialists in the crisp, intellectual style of northern Burgundy, experts in capturing the clean, coiled typicity of Chablis that is brilliantly on display here.

The nose is an artfully balanced haiku of Sicilian lemon, star fruit, and wet stone. The razor-like palate, with its cleansing acidity and zippy citrus, is “perfect to enjoy now,” according to Decanter. “Bichot’s commitment to Chablis shows in this well-crafted villages Chablis,” they went on. Lovers of lean, mineral, bright Chardonnay will have few better chances to stock up at a price like this.

In the competition between the tiny, artisanal domaines that have been driving the stylistic Burgundy renaissance, and the bigger, older institutions who are running to keep up, Albert Bichot is carving out a very smart niche for itself.

By elevating the 31-year-old Cécilia Trimaille to technical director, the domaine has cemented its dedication to the fresh, modern style of Burgundy that favors organic farming, little to no intervention, low yields, and minimal oak influence. Trimaille, who honed her chops in California and New Zealand as well as at Bordeaux First Growth Château Margaux, knows just how to walk the line between innovation and tradition.

At the same time, Bichot is turning its size and breadth to its advantage as an unparalleled value producer, allowing the domaine to bottle wines like this one that are “equal to some of the more artisan names for which you might be paying double the price,” according to Vinous.

Their renowned property in Chablis, Domaine Long-Depaquit, is at the heart of the village, bordered by rose gardens and ancient trees. Today’s bottle is as much an expression of the clay-limestone soils and flawless stainless steel vinification as it is a statement of purpose, and perhaps even a dare: Who else can make Chablis this good for $30?