2018 Louis Moreau Premier Cru Vau Ligneau Chablis Burgundy France 750 ml

The 2018 Louis Moreau Vau Ligneau Chablis Premier Cru radiates cool and crisp Chardonnay character, with its generous aromas of sliced apple, white peach, and pineapple, and beautifully expansive palate born of the unique terroir of Chablis’ westernmost Premier Cru vineyard. It’s the exact kind of luminous, mouthwatering white wine that keeps us coming back to Chablis again and again. 

That’s why we’ve claimed every bottle we could of this 94-point Editors’ Choice Vau Ligneau, and we’ve got them today at our best price ever, just $35 per bottle—a steal for Chablis from a unique Premier Cru site.

Chablis is all about Chardonnay in its purest form, and no one does it better than Louis Moreau. Wine Access members have decorated the legendary producer with four- and five-star ratings, praising the “very elegant,” “beautiful” wines that outperform rivals many times the price—a value proposition we credit to the family’s deep roots. They’ve been in Chablis for over 200 years, so when yields dip or unpredictable events cause some producers to raise prices, Moreau can stand firm. This makes their stellar Chablis stand out for its value nearly as much as for its quality and complexity.  

Over their centuries in the region, the Moreau family has accumulated 124 acres of vines, from stellar village sites all the way up. The 2018 Vau Ligneau hails from the westernmost Premier Cru in Chablis, a thin strip of vines situated in a side valley off the Serein River. 

Enjoying an ideal south and southeast exposure, Vau Ligneau is distinguished by its deep layer of white clay soils, which yield a fuller, richer style of Chablis. This 2018 still has the impressive focus that makes Chablis the world’s gold standard for crisp and clean Chardonnay, but replaces the super-sharp mineral cut with volume and breadth that make it ideal for early drinking. That means it’s absolutely perfect right now—and sitting at the top of our list for delicious year-round drinking (especially if seared scallops or a crumbly goat cheese are on the menu). 

Richness from the site's clay soils is suffused with the energy of vibrant grapes farmed under the philosophy known as la lutte raisonée (“the reasoned struggle”). That means the vines get significantly less exposure to herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides before the grapes are hand-harvested and spontaneously fermented using native yeasts. The Moreaus’ techniques are completely geared toward putting the glory of their healthy and vibrant Chardonnay grapes on full display. 

Those glorious grapes are front and center in this radiant Chablis, which belongs in your glass through the summer months and beyond. We’re claiming some for ourselves, and hope you’ll join us. It’s a Chardonnay to celebrate with, and a deal to celebrate.