2019 Domaine Chanson Pere et Fils Chablis 750 ml

Few wines inspire the same level of fanaticism as Chablis. Across the ages, the bright, steely, laser-focused French classic has enchanted generations of white-wine lovers, sommeliers—even skeptics who didn’t think they liked Chardonnay.

As Burgundy’s northernmost growing region, Chablis is more spiritually aligned with the chilly vineyards of Champagne than the Côte d’Or farther south, and it owes its iconic status to this precariously marginal geography. At such extreme latitudes, grapes wage an epic battle for ripeness, also struggling to eke out whatever nutrients they can from the area’s fossil-rich, Kimmeridgian limestone soils.

Chablis growers and winemakers undertake substantial risk—frost and hail remain constant adversaries here, threatening to wipe an entire year’s crop with little warning—and the result is arguably the world’s most thrilling expression of Chardonnay. Defined by a dazzling cool-climate interplay of radiant orchard fruit, spine-tingling acidity, and chalky mineral intensity, the flavors and textures on display couldn’t be further removed from the rich, buttery stereotypes associated with some of California’s more exaggerated Chardonnays.

It’s a pleasure that everyone deserves to experience at least once, and there could be no better introduction to that classic Chablis magic than the 2019 Chanson Père et Fils.

Founded in 1750, Chanson is one of Burgundy’s oldest estates, and it’s telling that they’re one of just six from the 18th century that still survive today. Sourced from steep hillside slopes just south of the wine’s namesake village, their citrusy, elegant Chablis delivers a dazzling combination of crystalline purity, fleshy Bartlett pear and green apple, and, of course, all the mineral-driven intensity that Chablis converts crave. One sip, and we guarantee you’ll join them.