2019 Lamblin et Fils Bourgogne Blanc Chardonnay Burgundy France 750 ml

Burgundy’s Yonne Valley, where the racy and mineral-driven 2019 Lamblin & Fils Bourgogne Blanc was grown, flies under the radar. But one glance at a map shows it surrounds the holy grail of Burgundy’s liveliest whites: Chablis. 

Effectively, Didier Lamblin’s Bourgogne Blanc could be Chablis, and comes from the same limestone-rich Kimmeridgian soils that yield the world’s most vibrant Chardonnays. In profile, this has Chablis written all over it, offering mouthwatering lemon curd and juicy pear accented by wet stone and tarragon. In price, it bears no resemblance whatsoever.

For 300 years and twelve generations, Didier Lamblin’s family has dedicated itself to winegrowing in Chablis and its surrounding areas. Based in the little hamlet of Maligny (population 800), their holdings include parcels in the famed Chablis Grands Crus Les Clos and Vaudésir, as well as in numerous Premier Cru and village-level sites. Theirs is an extraordinary lineup that rivals the best in Burgundy, and yet, despite all that firepower, it was this little gem that caught our eye years ago at San Francisco’s Absinthe Brasserie & Bar. 

Back then, we routinely bypassed the restaurant’s incredible absinthe cocktails to order a bottle (or two) of this exquisite and remarkably priced white to accompany a dozen oysters, or the Belgian mussels with leeks. The wine’s characteristic freshness and minerality absolutely electrified the dish, creating a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Naturally, we tried to line up an allocation for Wine Access members, but with every restaurant on the West Coast clamoring for the bottles on US shores, we never could manage it. 

Until we got lucky. We finally got our foot in the door with Lamblin & Fils, and today, we’ve locked in 56 cases of one of our all-time favorite value whites. Fermented and aged in stainless steel to preserve the vivacious lemon zest, green apple, juicy peach, and subtle notes of lemon verbena, the 2019 bears the unmistakable signature of Chablis—without the label, and without the price tag.