Henri de Villamont Chablis 2018 (Burgundy) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely Chablis that arrives at LCBO as part of the August 8, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release - and is available for purchase in many stores already.

The story of Domaine Henri de Villamont begins in the late 19th century when Léonce Bocquet built a winery for vinification and aging his wines in Savigny les Beaune, Burgundy. The structures that were built in 1880 took 8 years to build, and the underground cellars are still in use today! The winery has had many different owners over the years and became Henri de Villamont in 1964 after it was purchased by Schenk, a Swiss familial group.

Over the next 40 years, the Schenk family grew Henri de Villamont to produce 20 million bottles of wine per year. However, in 2004 they decided to scale back and produce fewer bottles, but of higher quality wine by completely renovating the winery and using the best oenological tools that offered high performance and efficiency. In order to achieve these new goals, Pierre Jhean became the new Director and Winemaker in 2005 and still leads the team today. Pierre is an oenologist from nearby Meursault, where his family still runs an estate, and aims to produce a complete range of outstanding Burgundian wines that respect the old traditions of winemaking in Burgundy, express terroir, and offer modernity.

Henri de Villamont, whose Agent is Eurovintage Wines & Spirits, has a relatively large presence at the LCBO, with many of the 13 wines available at the higher end of the price spectrum. I have tasted quite a few wines from Henri de Villamont over the years, including some really fine high-end wines, but I believe this is my first time tasting their Chablis. Let's see how this Chardonnay is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

HENRI DE VILLAMONT CHABLIS 2018 - AC, Burgundy, France (#13131) (XD) - $27.95
The medium-high intensity nose of this Chardonnay is enticing with leesy and lemony aromas accented by nutty and mineral notes. The medium-full bodied palate is ripe and creamy with lemon, apple, spice, and leesy flavours with touches of nut. Acids are juicy while oyster shell and stony mineral notes linger on the long, slightly hot finish. Chill well and enjoy! Score: 90 pts