The 2019 Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots La Réserve de l’Obédience has a lovely, beautifully defined nose featuring white peaches, black currant leaf, citrus peel and flecks of shaved almonds, all very complex and defined. The taut, fresh palate is well balanced with an uncompromising saline entry and fine acidity…It is very impressive.

It feels old-fashioned in the context of 2019, a plump vestige of a time when young grand cru Chablis was stern and closed off. It grows more expressive with air, showing facts of toasty lees, pastry-cream scents, a silken texture and an apple flavor. The wine’s power and generosity are more fully unveiled over the course of days, its structure designed for long aging.

Named after Laroche’s medieval head office in Chablis, this wine comes from selected parcels of Les Blanchots. The wine is concentrated and delineated with acidity, white fruits and a steely textured edge.

Unwinding in the glass with aromas of blanched almonds, orange oil, iodine, citrus blossom and crisp stone fruit, it’s full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with a seamless, complete profile and a long, saline finish.