Jean Collet Chablis 1er Cru 'Vaillons' 2020

Chablis 1er Cru ‘Vaillons’ Jean Collet is an elegant wine with a fine and precise structure along with notes of lemon, orchard fruit and summer flowers. It is an attractive wine, instantly appealing on the nose which leads to a vibrant palate of tangy citrus, stone fruits and a brilliant texture which is both fresh, tangy and mineral but ever so slightly creamy on the finish. 2/3rds of the wine is aged in large oak barrels and the wine is now certified organic.

Although the Domaine of Jean Collet was only founded in 1952 by Jean himself, generations of the Collet family have farmed the vineyards of Chablis since 1792. Prior to the creation of the Domaine, the grapes were sold off in bulk, but 1954 saw the first vintage bottled under the name Jean Collet. The Domaine now has 40 hectares across all levels of Chablis and is run by Jean’s son, Gilles along with Dominique, his wife and Romain, his son. The estates growth has come mainly through marriage, where vineyards have all been incorporated under the Jean Collet name. The resulting growth has included vineyards in some of Chablis best 1er Crus - Vaillons, Montmains and Mont de Milieu along with the Grand Crus of Valmur and Les Clos. The diversity of vineyards and their individual climates makes for a more complex village Chablis which is blended from multiple parcels of vines.

The domaine was one of the first in Chablis to move to organic viticulture in 1999 and this, now 30-year-old plot, is still bottled under the ‘Les Truffières’ label. Although this is their only certified organic wine, an ever-increasing proportion of the vineyards are now either farmed or certified organic. This move has been pushed forward by Romain who continues to push the estate into modern times whilst retaining the authenticity of these fantastic wines.