Tremblay-Marchive, Chablis Grand Cru “Les Clos”
Tremblay-Marchive, Chablis Grand Cru “Les Clos”

Tremblay-Marchive, Chablis Grand Cru “Les Clos”

Burgundy, France 2020 (750mL)
Regular price$85.00
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Tremblay-Marchive, Chablis Grand Cru “Les Clos”

“Les Clos” isn’t just the largest Grand Cru vineyard in Chablis, it’s also widely believed to produce the greatest wines. Whenever a bottle finds its way to us, it’s cause for celebration, but when one as profound and well-priced as Tremblay-Marchive’s 2020 lands on the table, pandemonium ensues!


Few wines exemplify the SommSelect mission quite like this one—Grand Cru Chardonnay from a half-hectare of organically farmed, 60-year-old heirloom vines, and it’s still comfortably under $100? This is what we live for! Having offered many Tremblay-Marchive wines over the years, we’re conditioned to expect superior quality and value, but still, this wine deserves special mention. It checks every possible “elite white Burgundy” box, and I can confirm that it is both delicious now and built for extending aging. The only problem is how little we have: just three bottles per person until our allocation disappears. This is the top of the top—fast action recommended!


NOTE: After this inevitable sellout, be on the lookout this afternoon for another powerful, rare, and regal Grand Cru Chardonnay. Hint: Over 1200 years ago, it was fit for a king…of the franks. 


André and Gabrielle Tremblay harvested their first grapes in Chablis in 1949, from the Premier Cru “Fourchaume” vineyard. They grew their domaine to about seven hectares and passed it along to their daughter, Lyne Marchive, who started her own winery, Domaine des Malandes, in 1973. After more than 30 years at the helm, Lyne handed the reins over to her daughter, Amandine, and son, Richard, in 2018. The Tremblay-Marchive label pays homage to the family’s impressive longevity in Chablis, and their commitment to painstaking organic farming ensures that the raw material from their heirloom vineyards is of impeccable quality. While the Marchives oversee the viticultural aspects, their winemaker, Guénolé Breteaudeau, crafts their wines with as little intervention as possible.


As Burgundy lovers know, this is the largest and best-known of the seven Grand Crus of Chablis, a 27-hectare parcel on a perfectly pitched, south/southwest-facing slope. That westward tilt exposes vines to afternoon (as well as midday) sun, ensuring optimal ripening of grapes in this still-cool climate. Les Clos consistently delivers the boldest, most generous examples of Chablis Grand Cru, as exemplified by today’s old-vine stunner.


The Marchives’ parcel in Grand Cru “Les Clos” measures .53 hectares and faces due south—allowing for maximum sun exposure, which explains the wine’s ripeness and structural density. The wine is vinified in French oak barrels (new and once-used), then, after malolactic fermentation is complete, it is transferred to stainless steel tanks for 12-14 months of aging before bottling.


Today’s 2020 is everything one could ask for in a Grand Cru white Burgundy, and then some. It is the total package, unfolding in layers and laced with crushed oyster shell minerality that ignites the salivary response. The magic of Grand Cru Chablis, when it’s on, is how it manages to be both voluptuous and taut at once. This is at once hedonistic and deeply serious—which is to say, drink it now or 5+ years from now, your choice! Shining a bright yellow-gold, it explodes from the glass with aromas of yellow peach, ripe yellow apple, buttered toast, lees, chalk, oyster shell, crushed stones, salt-preserved lemon, and a touch of vanilla. This is a Chablis wine that feels downright Beaune-like, except, of course, for the price. This is my kind of collectible and boy do I wish we had more—to the lucky few who nab some, enjoy!

Tremblay-Marchive, Chablis Grand Cru “Les Clos”
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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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