Domaine Chantemerle Chablis

Now that Australian white wine producers have pretty much done away with cork closures, why not go the whole way? I had the 2008 Domaine Chantemerle Chablis with lunch today, and this wine is absolutely delicious and quite complex, without it seeing any oak at all (apart from the cork, of course).

The 2008 vintage in Chablis is very appealing to me. It is not as broad as 2006 and not as steely as 2007: a good mix between acidity and fruit flavour. The Chantemerle vines are manually harvested and no commercial yeast is used in the wine making process.

The wine has lemon/citrus flavours, there is good minerality on the palate. The wine fills the mouth nicely, but maintains its linear approach to the ripe acidic finish. I have not had a better pairing with Sydney Rock Oysters than this.

While some Sauvignons add oak to make the wine more 'interesting', this wine is proof that with good fruit and natural treatment in the vineyard and winery, highly complex flavours can be achieved without oak.

Score: 94/+++