From a single vineyard in Villy inherited from Dominique's parents.

The fruit comes from a single hectare parcel of vines in excess of 70 years near Villy inherited from Dominique's grandmother.

This combines a slight mealy character with floral notes. Silky first impression, followed by plenty of bite. Vigourous acidity, taut and somewhat nervy with a direct finish. Decent depth and linearity. Very good. From 2008

Use of 2, 3 and 4 year old wood. Slightly spicy and a touch exotic on the aroma. More gravitas and depth to this wine with a rich and plump middle palate. Powerful finish. Definitely a step up in concentration, but I still prefer the style of Vaillons. Particularly good+. From 2009/10

Pure fruit with lively aromatics of greengages, white flowers and nettles. The palate is juicy yet delicate, vivacious and well balanced. Very good. Drink soon after release.

35 year old vines. Richer and more generous on the aroma, but still light and delicate. Somewhat broader palate, more density in the middle. Lovely pure fruit combined with nervosity and slight flint. Excellent balance. Very to particularly good. 2008/9

Sample one in tank: Glossy aroma. Excellent palate coverage. While a little bit more plump it shows a light touch. Definitely a more complete wine. Good stony backbone to balance the richer fruit. Very neatly made. Particularly good to fine. 2009/10

Sample two: Portion fermented in wood. Toastier on the nose. As expected the oak adds some opulence and creamy texture to the palate. Well handled. Very good.

Muted smoky and saline aroma. Modest attack with a light saline character and low toned fruit on the middle palate. Earthy intensity and a reasonable finish for village Chablis. Sound. Bottled and ready.

Fifty-two year old vines in 3 parcels. More weight on the aroma and concentration. More gravelly character than the saline of the straight Chablis. Creamy texture and quite a lot of grunt on the middle and back palate. Although this is denser, I tend to prefer the purity of the wine above. Sound. From 2006

More pronounced saline character here, also a touch floral. Quite low and earthy toned. Moderate density on the middle palate, with a certain breadth and balancing firm acidity. Modest finish. Very sound. From 2006 onwards.

Upright aroma with more stone character. Reasonable fruit quality here, ripe with plumpness in the middle palate, with moderately gravelly character and a fairly decent finish. Fairly good. From 2006

More restrained than the Montmains on the aroma. Showing more complexity, layers and terroir character. Again quite gravelly and with more grip and a firmer, better sustained finish. Good. From 2006

The vines come from many different parcels and the vines are between 10-60 years old for this generic Chablis. Dampt prefers not to make a vielles vignes but to blend older and younger vines to ensure consistency.

An ethereal, intense but quite delicate aroma. Full appley character on the palate. (The soil is very fine clay). Quite tight and racy. Although the acidy is balanced, it is not notably high. Supple and sustained. Very good. From 2008

Very reserved aroma, not showing much, but unsprung, not lacking in substance. Good attack and more open on the palate. Fennel and apple. Medium and rounded body yet with firm structure and a moderate follow through. More immediate than the following premier crus. Particularly good. From 2007/8

"The soil analysis for Vaillons and Les Lys is the same, but the wines are always different."

Not giving a lot away on the aroma. Slight smoke and white flowers. Minerality defines the palate, racy, linear and taut with hint of fennel. I like the focus on this wine. It has a well sustained flinty finish. Very poised and should age elegantly and for a long time. Particularly good to fine. From 2010

The vines come from a parcel above Les Clos on the plateau behind the wood.

Energetic with hints of kerosene on the bouquet. It is reminiscent of an older Riesling on the palate, firm acidity, quite austere aquiline structure and a decent finish. Drink now.

Vines are on the opposite slope to Les Forêt, facing North West.

This was fermented half in old wood and half in tank. Dauvissat comments that the hard and chalky soil gives the wine its nervosity. It will not be bottled until December.

Lifted, vigourous and nervous aroma. Focused palate, taut as a spring, tense with chalky, oyster shell character. Very austere, more minerality than acidity. Delicious and captivatingly edgy for this vintage. Fine. From 2008

Rich and rather honeyed on the aroma with exotic blossomy notes, but very contained. Round, smooth and glossy, but with an energetic core running through this. Compact and polished. Fine to very fine. From 2008/9

Supple, seductive aroma with hints of cashew. Stony and oyster-shell character combined with biscuity notes. Silky, but compact texture. Inviting but refined and composed. Fine. From 2007

Dauvissat likens the site of Les Preuses to an amphitheatre exposed East and South East so that it receives the morning sun. The vines' roots, he comments, penetrate through the surface fractures deep into the subsoil.

1.7 hectares planted with 48 year old vines. Dauvissat describes the soil as very homogenous (like the wine it produces), deep, lots of argile, very compact and dense.

Edge of opulence here, but as ever with Dauvissat's wine, coupled with reserve. Svelte, rounded and deep, with an energetic core and glossy minerality. Very well balanced, if a bit weightier on the back palate than the 2004. More broadly aristocratic. More sexy and ample than the Preuses, but never-the-less it tightens to an excellent, focused mineral finish. 2009 Very fine to outstanding .

One parcel of vines above the grand cru, beyond the trees line. Portlandian soil.

Droin uses only stainless steel for the Chablis.

For this cuvée Droin uses 25% of barrels which are new to 4 years old.

Since 2000 Droin has changed the treatment of this wine significantly. One hundred percent wood has been reduced to 100% stainless steel in 2004. His objective? "To preserve the minerality."

Powdery, stony aroma. Tense attack followed by a compact palate and linear form. Streamlined. Reserved and not showing much mineral at present. Hints of fennel and chalk. Finishes well. Particularly good. From 2008

Thirty percent of old wood which Droin tells me he uses to make the wine more accessible as it can be very backwards before it begins to show its minerality. Never-the-less this is still quite austere and restrained on the nose. The earthy and tense palate is also quite shy. Touch of Riesling-like petrol which (I am told) is a character associated with Droin's older Vosgros. Very reserved, but power and concentration behind. Broad, masculine, tense and structured with notes of chicory. Needs a lot of time. Of very good quality but a bit of an ugly youth at the moment. From 2009

Droin favours more oak in this cru as he considers his parcel rather Côte d'Or in style. However he has ,pulled back from the quantity used by his father. Fifty percent is now used of which 10% is new. Sweet creamy vanilla aromas with peachy, quite rich fruit. Supple texture, rounded, perhaps bordering on the voluptuous for Chablis. The wood makes this naturally more generous cru somewhat flashy. While I am not greatly in favour of this style it is of very good quality. From 2009

This is still quite a new cru for Droin, although the vines are old.

35% wood is used on this cru of which one third is new. Since 2002 Droin has been developing his interpretation of Valmur. He tells me that he is looking for smoky and malt whisky aromas with Chassagne character. Well there's certainly quite a lot of wood on the nose with a dark spice character, but behind this there are also more interesting flinty aromatics. The palate is broad, bordering on slightly square and clumpy in comparison with the Blanchot - more savoury and masculine. Blokey wine. Not my style, but never-the-less the quality is particularly good. From 2010

This has the same wood treatment as Valmur, but incorporates the wood much more elegantly. Certainly it is powerful, dense and rich, but also more harmonious. It has a steely backbone, very stony and mineral with a touch of chicory flavour. Strong wine with a compact core, direct profile and impressive follow through. Very expressive and energetic. Despite the wood this is quintessential Chablis. Very fine. From 2010

As with the Fauchaume, Droin has lowered the percentage of wood from 100% to 55%. He feels that the style is not very mineral, and he would rather emphasise the richness.

Droin use 55% wood of which 25% is new.

Domaine Drouhin is a substantial landholder in Chablis and works its vineyards organically. The fruit for Domaine de Vaudon comes from the vineyards abutting the premier crus of Montée de Tonnerre and Mont de Milieu. The vines are about thirty years old.

Marked oak on the nose, but attractive, ripe fruit underneath. Firm palate, ample body, rich texture and just a touch of minerality. Pleasant, well balanced wine, if not particularly typical. From 2006.

Lovely, lively and floral with much more steely intensity. Tight and muscular on the front palate, firm backbone and showing fair breadth. Big step up from the former Chablis. Very good. From 2007

Softly fragrant and flowery with a zesty citrus follow though on the aroma. Although the oak is very apparent at this stage, there is a generous mouth feel, dense fruit and lively acidity. Fairly good. From 2007

Waxy, a little honeyed, soft and flowery. Surprisingly, given the aroma, quite a masculine profile, broad, good grip, dense fruit and gravelly minerality. Firm structure for aging. Long, fairly meaty finish. Particularly good. From 2008

Somewhat exotic, lychee fruit, appealing. Rounded, yet compact palate with excellent dense fruit. Showing the framework of the wood at the moment. Creamy texture and a thorough finish. Particularly good, but the Montmains has the edge on structure in this vintage. From 2010

Very Côte d'Or style. Rich, velvety texture and intense fruit. Aristocratic and controlled with a serious framework. Opulence combined with vibrancy. An impressive finish. Fine. From 2010

Gérard Duplessis racks only once and then holds the wine in bottle before release. This is sensible as the Domaine style is ultra reserved. Take Fourchaumes for example - this typically generous cru is very controlled at Domaine Duplessis. Linear wines with pure fruit and good mineral profile. The best wine will take time to show their true character.

Saline and quite intense and lifted. Very taut and stony with chalky acidity. It is very finely textured with a smoothness and a long limestone finish. A very linear Vaillons with fine clarity. Particularly good. From 2009

Lifted, elegant and fragrant aroma with white blossom. More gloss on the attack and richness with slight plumpness on the middle palate. Linear style though with depth and intensity. Lovely clarity of fruit and quite a powerful mineral finish. Particularly good, possibly fine. From 2009

Very hidden, but promising aroma with just a hint of the minerality. Good attack, immediate intensity, and surprising power and density on the middle palate and finish. Very pure and linear with earthy stone and saline character. Clear step up from the previous wines and shows good focus, energy and grip. Dignified wine. Particularly good to fine. From 2010.

1998 was Didier Séguier's first vintage at Fèvre. He arrived with the Henriot team, before which he worked with Bouchard. Séguier's ambition was to return Fèvre to focus on terroir and to create "an identity more precisely related to the vineyard." He discontinued the use of new oak and now uses only older oak. He is meticulous in the cellar and is particularly concerned with ensuring that the must is as clean as possible. This he achieves via careful selection of fruit and a long cold déboubage - settling by gravity.

Mr Fèvre started this 21 years ago

This is made with contract grapes.

Reserved on aroma, lemon and floral. Very pure and clinical but with pleasant minerality on the middle palate. Well balanced. Smooth and cool. Very competent. From 2006

Light, lifted floral aroma, not showing much. Well balanced with moderate grip. Lightly saline, but a bit unexciting. Fair finish. From 2006

Floral, upright and pure. This is appley with a tight saline character and firm backbone, but also some generosity in the middle palate. Juicily intense finish. Particularly good. From 2008

Although part of Vaillons, Séguier likes to vinify the fifty year old vines of Les Lys separately. The vines face North East, versus South East for Vaillon.

Touch of honey on the aroma - rather sleek. More grip and sheen on the palate. Power in middle and on the finish. Steely core, racy and saline. Very proper, cool and reserved and long. Meticulous winemaking. I like this. Fine. From 2008/9

This is part of Fouchaume, although in fact it abuts Preuses on the other side of the hill and has a different exposition.

Fèvre have 6 of the total 12 hectares of Beauroy They have 2 very different parcels which will be blended making it difficult to project the quality of the final blend, but I don't think it will be one of Fèvre's more exciting wines given the proposed larger percentage of parcel one.

Parcel one: 4 hectares on top of the slope, South West facing with very argile soil

Lean with light manicured minerality, but slightly devoid of personality. Green apples and dry chalky finish. Fair

Parcel two: 2 hectares on a 50% slope, south facing.

More mineral and elegant. Richer aroma, denser although very tight. Much more generous and deep with a smooth stony character. Very correct and impressive finish. Particularly good to fine.

With its south exposure and early maturity, Fèvre begin the harvest with their Vaudésir.

Pure and savoury aroma. Reserved and austere palate. Steely and linear with depth, a glossy texture and more weight. Exceedingly neat. Very hidden. Fine, maybe very fine. From 2010/11

Two and a half hectares; one part South East slope, the other South West giving more richness.

Four hectares on the top of the slope

Lots of parcels around Chablis, Fleys and Fontenay.

Very pure and bright. Vigorous wine with grippy acidity, medium body, neatly made and slightly stony. Attractive to good. From 2007.

Light aromatics, not showing too much, lower toned. Only cuve, no wood. Broader, but still linear profile. Smooth, slightly creamy and compact. The finish is surprisingly sustained. Very good. From 2007

600 litre casks of old wood. Wood doesn't show on the aroma which is pure and vibrant fruit and a touch floral and appley. Charming lifted fruit on the palate. There is a creamy texture, richness and breadth with a counterpoint of steeliness. Sensitive use of battonage used here. Good follow though. Very good. From 2007

Very new and estery with lively, pure fruit. This is only in cuve, no wood, however there is a certain amount of careful battonage at racking. The palate is lower-toned and broad, a touch fennel and very vigorous. Attractive and slightly savoury finish. Good. 3 years.

Pure vibrant esters. Energetic attack and a juicy, zesty backbone to this wine. Good grip and a nervy, linear structure to a fine tight finish. Very classic and pure. Particularly good. However this will be blended with one third of wine aged in barrel, so the character will change.