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Domaine Guy Robin, Chablis Grand Cru, “Valmur”

Burgundy, France 2018 (750mL)
$79.00
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Domaine Guy Robin, Chablis Grand Cru, “Valmur”

When it comes to bolstering any collection of elite Chardonnay, however big or small, sage investors look to a single hillside in Chablis where seven vineyards huddle together to provide the most affordable Grand Cru experiences in Burgundy. However, all Grand Cru Chablis is not created equal, so we’ve learned to use a foolproof, one-step plan to consistently sidestep disappointment: (1) Seek out the wines of Domaine Guy Robin. 


Among the fabled few reference points for premium white Burgundy, their Grand Crus consistently deliver more richness, typicity, and soul-stirring texture than 99% of all other producers. Extremely old vines and an unobtrusive hand in the cellar are major keys to their continued success but with the 2018 vintage, they were able to coax out new dimensions of generosity, making this (along with their 2018 “Les Clos”) one of the most luxurious bottles of Guy Robin I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. It’s also a screaming Grand Cru value at $79, so whether drinking now or in 10 years, you simply must grab whatever you can fit in your cellar. This is a wine I’ll never tire of. 


 Back in the 1960s, Guy Robin assembled a spectacular collection of vineyard plots in Chablis, including parcels in five Grand Crus and four Premier Crus. Later, he resisted the urge to replant those vineyards with higher-yielding clones of Chardonnay (as many others did), and now his daughter, Marie-Ange Robin, is blessed with perhaps the richest trove of old vines in the region. Guy Robin’s shrewd vineyard acquisitions included significant stands of ‘pre-phylloxera’ vines—i.e., vineyards that were not destroyed during the phylloxera epidemic of the late-1800s. The phylloxera louse (a root-eating aphid) devastated the European wine industry, forcing vignerons to graft vines onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks, but it wasn’t a total annihilation. Some pockets of Europe were spared, including parts of Chablis and most of Robin’s parcels: A good 80% of their modern-day vines are on their original roots!



The value proposition is one reason why Chablis is among the most sommelier-beloved wines in the world right now. The fact that I can actually afford to drink these Grand Cru Chardonnay (versus those in Côte de Beaune) makes it all the more appealing, and Guy Robin’s 2018 “Valmur” is dynamite. Situated adjacent to fabled “Les Clos” but a bit more upslope, “Valmur” goes toe-to-toe with its neighbor for the title of best Grand Cru. Home to pure Kimmeridgian soils, Robin’s parcel lies near the forest line at the top of the hill and was planted in the 1960s. In the winery, indigenous yeasts carry out fermentation, and their Grand Crus age in a battery of French barrels, 10% new. Bottling occurs without fining or filtering. What’s more, the 2018 vintage was exceptionally warm and Robin’s bountiful crop brought intensely ripe and fleshy fruit that added an extra dimension to this already deeply layered Chardonnay. 


While it may seem like a crime to open a Grand Cru Burgundy that’s less than three years old, I assure you that’s not the case with Guy Robin’s 2018 Valmur. I won’t even bat an eye if you forgo a decant—the wine is just that deliciously rich and textured right out of the bottle. Although lush, Robin’s signature tension, mineral verve, and high-toned aromatics are on full display: You’ll uncover Anjou pear, sliced yellow apples, gardenia, nectarine, pineapple core, candied citrus peel, lime blossoms, lees, vanilla bean, and finely crushed chalk. The palate is medium-plus bodied, decidedly lush, and powerful, unafraid to flaunt mouthwatering waves of yellow orchard fruits and a firm backbone of crushed stone and oyster shell. It’s a Grand Cru to be admired now and over the next 10+ years. Serve around 55 degrees in your largest Burgundy stems. This is one of the greatest pound-for-pound elite Burgundies out there. Enjoy.


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Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Sub-Region
FranceChablis
Soil
Kimmeridgian
Farming
Lutte Raisonnée
Blend
Chardonnay
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
Mostly Used French
TEMP.
55
Glassware
Burgundy Stem
Drinking
Now-2030+
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
Lobster Tails w/ Lemon-Butter

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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