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Domaine Garnier & Fils, Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu

Burgundy, France 2013 (750mL)
$49.00
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Domaine Garnier & Fils, Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu

Because we all enjoy the same wines, I like to think we have similar discerning palates, so when I say that I could drink today’s Premier Cru for the rest of my life, I just assume that applies to everyone else. And if there was ever a producer to make such a pipe dream financially feasible, it’d be Domaine Garnier, a Chardonnay perfectionist bottling some of the finest price-to-quality Chablis imaginable.
The best of Burgundy is meant to evoke the deepest, most powerful emotions and Garnier’s lineup allows that to happen at incredibly fair prices. Name the top producers of Meursault, Puligny, or Chassagne and I guarantee their 1er Cru prices won’t get close to this. Accordingly, when you can get your hands on top-shelf Chablis for less than $50, don’t loosen your grip because that’s as bulletproof and savvy as wine purchasing gets. We firmly believe Garnier is one of the shrewdest values in Chablis and that their terroir-infused gems are worthy of any cellar, wine list, or dinner table. Their 2017 Mont de Milieu—an elite Premier Cru in line with Chablis’ Grand Crus—is a powerful, barrel-aged, mineral-loaded centerpiece that flat-out demolished the other 1er Cru competition on our table. This is the final remaining stock in the importer’s possession. Don’t be shy, snap it up!
Although the brothers who run Garnier & Fils are ascendant stars in Chablis, the prices for their wines have yet to catch up to their superior quality and pedigree. This is how it goes in historic wine regions like this: It takes time to build a reputation, and Xavier and Jérome Garnier (the ‘fils’ in Garnier & Fils) only took over the family domaine in 1996. They represent a new generation in Chablis focused on sustainable/organic vineyard management and wines that exhibit more depth of fruit expression at every rung of the quality ladder. 

Perched on the same side of the River Serein and a one-mile hillside jog from Chablis’ prominent cluster of Grand Crus, “Mont de Milieu” is an incredible site offering up serious 1er Cru Chablis. With a name that translates to “the middle mountain,” this south-southwest facing slope served as the border between the Duchy of Bourgogne and the Comté de Champagne and the terroir is just as rich, boasting the same Kimmeridgian chalk concentration as many of its Grand Cru neighbors. 

Following a manual harvest, Xavier naturally fermented (both alcoholic and malolactic) his “Mont de Milieu” Chardonnay in large, neutral, 600-liter barrels known as demi-muids. This slow, uninterrupted process of ambient, airborne yeasts converting sugars took over three months. Nothing is rushed and nothing is faked here. The second step of this traditional, non-interventionist cellar work was 18 months of aging on raw lees in demi-muids (70%) and stainless steel tanks (30%). The wine was then blended together and bottled.
 
Garnier’s 2017 Chablis 1er Cru “Mont de Milieu” announces itself with high-toned, mineral-accented aromatics that grab your attention and refuse to let go: Yellow apple, pineapple core, crushed oyster shells and chalk (can’t emphasize that enough), fresh acacia flowers, ripe white peach, salted lemon rind, and honeysuckle spiral out of the glass. The palate offers intense, nervy yellow/white fruits intermixed with crushed shells and mouth-watering citrus. It’s a perfect, profound expression of this Premier Cru that can be enjoyed now with a bit of air or stowed away for the next 5-10 years. This is typically a wine to be served with fresh raw seafood, but due to its impressive texture and mineral richness, I’m recommending rotisserie chicken with lemon. Decant for 30 minutes before serving in a Burgundy stem at a touch under cellar temperature. Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Sub-Region
FranceChablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu
Soil
Chalk & Clay
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Chardonnay
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
Neutral French Demi-Muids
TEMP.
50-55
Glassware
Burgundy Stem
Drinking
Now-2027
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Lemon-Rosemary Rotisserie Chicken

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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