The 2016 Les Blanchots La Reserve de l’Obédience Grand Cru has a much more intense and voluminous bouquet than the regular Les Blanchots with copious yellow plum, quince and oyster shell notes, flirting with honeyed aromas. The palate is very well balanced with crisp acidity, a much more phenolic wine than the regular Blanchots with a saline tang towards the finish. There certainly seems to have been a bifurcation between the two cuvées, apparently something that has occurred in the weeks prior to my visit. Excellent.

A barrel selection, the 2016 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots La Réserve de l'Obédience is more reserved than the regular bottling of Blanchots, unfurling in the glass with a reticent nose of crisp buttered orchard fruit, wet stones and spring flowers. On the palate, it's fuller-bodied, more ample and complete, with lovely depth, dimension and concentration and an impressive alliance of texture and tension. The finish is long, pure and stony.

Elderflower, vanilla and apple aromas and flavors converge on this refined, stony white. Shows richness midpalate, before the vivid acidity cleanses the finish. Delivers more finesse than power. Drink now through 2025.

This wine has changed dramatically since the sale of Laroche as it once could be fairly described as an oak bomb with some white wine buried underneath - not necessarily a bad wine but not a very good Blanchots. By contrast there is good freshness t