The very pretty hill-town of St. Bris is situated about 8km. to the east of Auxerre. Jean-François and Jean-Louis Bersan run this 40 hectare estate, with its picturesque cellars situated behind the 11th Century church in the village of St. Bris. Having spent almost twenty years trying to find a really top-notch Sauvignon de St. Bris, we were bowled-over by the superb concentration and sheer zestiness of this fruit driven cuvée whose grapes are grown entirely on Portlandian clay which, unlike Kimmeridgian clay, is ideal for the Sauvignon variety. This is a wonderful alternative for those seeking a Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé style wine but at rather less money.
Established in the early 17th Century, this 10 hectare estate is one of the most 'senior' estates in Chablis, both in terms of its reputation and the sheer quality of its wines. The Pinson brothers' grandfather, Louis, established the estate's pedigree in the late 1940's and became one of the first growers to bottle and sell their own wine. This exemplary family estate is now run by Laurent (who is in charge of wine-making and the cellars) and his brother, Christophe (who is in control of all vineyard and viticultural work). The vineyards are sensibly replanted, giving an average age of vines a little over 30 years old, whilst tight pruning ensures carefully maintained yields. All the grapes are manually picked and vinification is traditional, with the initial fermentation of all the wines taking place in stainless steel vats and then the Premiers and Grands Crus are transferred to a range of new, and not so new, oak barrels for ageing. This process allows the wines to have a wonderful purity and intensity of fruit (they are not dominated by oak which comes from barrel-fermented Chablis) and a richness which is so often lacking in the wines from this region. The Chablis-Villages come from vineyards situated just next door to the Mont de Milieu slopes and reflect their Kimmeridgien geology, being rapier-fresh with a refreshing cleanliness of fruit and a surprisingly long finish. Every wine from this marvellous domaine reflects its terroir and individuality. These are world-class wines which benefit a sensible amount of ageing before being released.
Georges Pico and his partner, Eliana Puentes, started out in a major supporting role, about six years' ago, when we were looking for another source of village-Chablis, due to the shortage of supply from the Pinson brothers. The wines of Domaine de Bois d'Yver had come second in our investigative tastings in the early 1990's and we had always remembered them as serious contenders for a place on our list. This is an extensive 13 hectare domaine hidden-away on the back roads out of Chablis towards Courgis. They only started bottling their own wines in the mid-1980's and took a while to establish themselves. However, today this is an estate that has gained a worldwide reputation for itself as a producer of Chablis (although very different to those of the Pinsons) that exhibit a steely fruitiness combined with a clean, crisp freshness and a generous weight. Above all, they are wines that reflect their 'terroir'.
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