Louis Jadot Petit Chablis 2023

Louis Jadot has worked across Burgundy since 1859 with the aim of expressing each appellation on its own terms. This Petit Chablis comes from vineyards at the northern limit of the region, where Chardonnay ripens slowly in a cool continental climate. Petit Chablis sits on Portlandian limestone, a harder and younger bedrock than the Kimmeridgian marl of the main Chablis crus, giving a wine that is direct, bright and mineral rather than broad. The cool site keeps natural acidity high and the fruit taut. Vinification is clean and made without oak so nothing masks the grape and the stony character of the terroir; fermentation at low temperature protects the citrus and green-apple aromatics. The wine is pale lemon with green highlights. The nose is fresh and precise, with green apple, lemon and a note of white flowers, and the palate is lean and dry, its acidity cutting to a clean, saline, faintly chalky finish. This is Chardonnay in its most transparent form. Serve well chilled at 9 to 11 degrees in a standard white glass. It is a classic partner for oysters and other raw shellfish, and works with grilled white fish and fresh goat cheese.