Vocoret Vin de France NV (Chablis ‘Bas de Chapelot’ 2021)

Since inheriting 5ha of vines at the end of 2012, husband-and-wife team Édouard and Eleni Vocoret have established themselves among the leading artisanal domaines in Chablis.

Continually pushing the quality of their organic farming, Eleni and Édouard are experimenting with tressage, the laborious practice of braiding the vine canopy popular among the Côte d’Or’s most progressive growers. It has been a great success – they now find their fruit ripens earlier and offers greater intensity – and, along with natural yeast fermentations and skilful winemaking, has enabled them to fashion wines that combine vibrant mineral energy with impressive concentration of fruit. 

Most producers in the region blend their village-level plots together, but the Vocorets have always separated them into single-parcel Chardonnays that express a real sense of place. 

'Le Bas de Chapelot' is a parcel of 40-year-old vines beneath 1er Cru ‘Montée de Tonnerre’; ‘En Boucheran’ comes from three tiers of vines between ‘La Forêt’ and ‘Vaillons’; and ‘Les Pargues’ is a site neighbouring 1er Cru ‘La Forêt’. Their 1er Cru 'Les Butteaux' – from a 0.3ha portion in the upper part of the lieu-dit – has the complexity and age-ability only found in the region's top wines.

With a roster of prestigious 1er and Grand Cru sites (including the fabled ‘Le Clos’) set to join the range from the 2023 vintage, there is no doubt the Vocorets will continue to build on their already stellar reputation for decades to come.

From the brilliant 2021 vintage, but bottled as VdF due to Burgundian red tape. Gorgeous white peach and crushed rock scents, with a long, saline finish. 92-94 Points, Neal Martin