2019 Domaine Raoul Gautherin & Fils Vaudesirs Chablis Grand Cru Burgundy 750 ml

Domaine Gautherin’s 2019 Vaudésirs takes perfect measure of Chablis Grand Cru and delivers a tour de force, surpassing our already high expectations for the category. There’s simply nothing like it.

Most of the Gautherin stays in France, and what’s been brought into the U.S. has gone straight to restaurants. So while it’s hard to call a nearly 500-year-old Chablis house a discovery, we are blowing the lid off a well-kept French secret. Gautherin is an absolute pearl.

Rarely, if ever, have we offered a better look into what Times writer Eric Asimov called “the world’s most distinctive Chardonnay.” Chablis at its best expresses a majestic character that is impossible to replicate in any other region (although many have tried). And while Gautherin may not be the most famous name to American ears, they stand proudly among the best in the game.

Father and son team Alain and Adrien Gautherin farm holdings in three grand cru climats and three premier crus, nurturing each with the specificity of site required to achieve meticulously detailed, ultra high definition wines.

For Gautherin, Vaudésirs means a balance between opposing forces. They harvest two acres of 50-year-old vines, split between the vineyard’s unique southern (warm, ripe) and northern (steely, cool) exposures. After fermentation, a third of the wine spends a year in oak, encouraging the grapes’ natural richness and elegant structure. The rest comes up in stainless steel, allowing for a quieter but more frank expression. The last act brings it all into harmony, blending the various élevages and aging the wine another ten months on its lees. The result defies mere chemistry.