2023 Domaine Alain et Adrien Gautherin, Grand Cru Chablis, Grenouilles, White Burgundy, France.
The Grenouilles Grand Cru Chablis, one of the rarest of the top crus, by Domaine Alain et Adrien Gautherin, is a beautiful mineral driven, richly textured, delicately floral and full bodied wine that absolutely couldn’t be from anywhere else with layered lemon, green apple, crisp white peach and pear friuit on the palate, along with intense chalky flint notes, subtle wood shading, clove and wet river rock, as well as having a faint honeyed creaminess. I was able to taste through the whole lineup of offerings recently from Gautherin and was impressed by all the wines here, especially the basic Chablis AOC cuvée, the Vaillons Premier Cru, which was excellent, and this Grenouilles Grand Cru, which is a site that only five producers get fruit from. Farmed sustainably, and made with respect to traditions, the Grand Cru wines at Gautherin, formerly known as Domaine Raoul Gautherin, before being handed down to his sons, are crafted with a gentle pressing and settling period before typically going to a combination of stainless steel vat, about 2/3rds, and some tiny amount of new oak and mostly used barrels with almost a third of the wine seeing time in two 600L demi-muids, helping not over power this pretty pale gold hued Chardonnay with the wood. For maturing, very little batonage is employed, except for extreme vintages and the Grenouilles was aged on the lees for between 18 and 20 months, adding to the depth and complexity, while not interfering with the soulful purity and steely nature. Coming from mature vines situated at the base of the natural amphitheater, or fan shell, that is the setting for all the Grand Cru greatness the Grenouilles regally sites at the heart of the zone on the chalky limestone.
The now Alain et Adrien Gautherin Chablis winery is a family estate that has been transmitted from father to son for many generations now and comes with a wealth of knowledge and commitment to make the finest expressions of ancient limestone influenced Chardonnays, with many unique and prime hillside parcels in this historic region. The top of the Gautherin range, includes the likes of this Grenouilles, but also has Les Clos, and what may be the winery’s signature bottlings from the Grand Cru Vaudésirs, even doing a special reserve version in top vintages. I was lucky enough to sample most everything and meet with Alain Gautherin, in both New York and Chicago, where they were pouring recently, so I like to think I got a good idea of the wines and some insight into what makes them tick, and like most top producers here in Chablis, it is all about the sense of place. The Grand Cru areas of Chablis are formed with the classic Jurassic era clay and limestone on the legendary Kimmeridgien soils, which give them the distinction of terroir here. It should be noted, as to this wine in particular, the Grenouilles is the smallest of the seven official Chablis Grand Cru climats, located just above the banks of the river Serein, in the centre of the Grand Cru hill, northeast of the village of Chablis. The southern exposure of the Grenouilles site leads to perceptibly riper flavors in its Chardonnay-based wines historically and though I don’t have much experience with this cru I found this one, from the 2023 vintage nice balanced and elegant in structure. Interestingly, the name Grenouille, or “frog” is rumored that it comes from the songs of frogs that can be heard to sing or croak in the vineyard due to its proximity to the river. I highly recommend getting to know these outstanding Chablis by Gautherin, they are full of presence and charm in the glass.
($125 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive