All of his beautifully crafted wines arrive in miniscule quantities to their California importer and these cases disappear quickly to many of the state’s top wine programs. Sebastien has achieved all of this in a few short years by mere word of mouth, which has come predominantly from impressed fellow growers and smitten sommeliers. Less than twenty short years ago, Sebastien inherited 1.5 hectares of Petit Chablis from his grandfather (the lowest of all classifications). In 1999, he took his tiny holding and began carefully choosing small but excellent parcels of land, which he transformed into one of the most up and coming names in all of Chablis.

Once this beauty receives plenty of air, it blossoms with an array of classic aromatics including fresh, just ripe yellow apple, lemon blossoms, fresh honeysuckle, myriad wild white flowers and crushed oyster shells. The palate offers flavors of fresh white flower pollen, lees and oyster shell-like minerality that only Chablis can supply alongside fresh lemon zest, a touch of grapefruit and fresh herbs. This wine has just a kiss of fruit, driven by fresh acidity and incredibly complex minerality that delivers an everlasting finish. Although this wine is delicious this very moment, it will inevitably become one of your most prized purchases if you can wait for its peak in five to ten years. Patience is required for the ideal reward; so set at some bottles aside as it will deliver nirvana and more in 2020. If you decide to enjoy a bottle now, simply decant as long as possible (an hour or two), then serve at cellar temperature in Burgundy stems. Because this wine has more texture and concentration than your average Chablis, forgo the oysters or raw fish. I would recommend preparing something similar to this recipe of grilled whole sea bass with fennel and let the wine work its magic.