2021 Louis Moreau 1er Cru Vau Ligneau Chablis Burgundy France 750 ml

When Providence Wine Director David Osenbach mentioned legendary Chablis producer Louis Moreau to us, we knew we’d click.

That’s because Wine Access members have decorated Moreau with four- and five-star ratings, praising the “very elegant,” “beautiful” wines that outperform rivals many times the price. Osenbach says Moreau is “practically synonymous with Chablis,” and for the Providence MICHELIN Club shipment, he chose a stunner from the winery’s half-century-old vines at Vau Ligneau, the region’s westernmost Premier Cru.

Vau Ligneau has a prime southwestern exposure, adding richness to the classic bright vibrancy of the region and creating a 2021 bottling that’s ageworthy but ready to drink now. Moreau farms according to the philosophy known as la lutte raisonée (“the reasoned struggle”), which means they tend to the deep-rooted vines with minimal (and sometimes no) herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides.

Add in native-yeast fermentation in stainless-steel tanks and you have a pure expression of a gorgeous Chablis site. Moreau ages the wine in tank for a full 18 months before bottling, which builds complexity and increases ageability.

Chablis, of course, is a dream bottle for Providence’s menu, which focuses on seafood, all of it sustainably sourced. Osenbach pairs the Vau Ligneau with the restaurant’s Hokkaido scallops with summer squash, but this wine can truly do it all. It will make any seafood shine. It will elevate any first course. It’s also a peerless aperitif. Moreau puts the glory of Chablis on full display, which is why we—and the decorated Wine Director at a MICHELIN two-star institution—come back to them again and again.