Domaine Vrignaud Chablis 2022: Fine White Wine of the Year’ Trophy Winner in the 2024 Sommelier World Wine Awards: superb vintage: best price for case of six bottles delivered

About the 2022 Chablis vintage:

2022 was a vintage that brought smiles back to Chablis winemakers and yields were around double those of the challenging 2021 vintage. After a milder and drier than normal winter, some spring frosts hit in March, fortunately damage was limited as buds had not yet burst in the vineyards. An exceptionally warm spring boosted growth with full flowering completed by the end of May. There was very little rainfall during the summer and disease pressure was low throughout the growing season. Some well-timed showers in August gave the vines a necessary boost to complete the final stages of ripening. The harvest took place in early September and the grapes harvested were of excellent quality. The wines produced have excellent balance and expressive fruit character.

Notes the importer:

‘Guillaume Vrignaud joined his family domaine in 1999. At the time, Domaine Vrignaud was a member of the cooperative winery in Chablis, until Guillaume convinced his father to build a cellar and start making their own wines. The results were so successful that the domaine has since grown from 12 hectares of vines to 28 hectares today, all of which are organically farmed.

‘Domaine Vrignaud’s scrupulously clean cellar comprises primarily stainless-steel tanks, in which 90% of their wines are fermented. In 2005, they started using solely indigenous yeasts in their winemaking, which Guillaume believes give the wines ” more fruit and minerality”. Yet it is in the vineyard that Guillaume has made the most significant difference. The domaine has 12 parcels of Chablis vines spread over 14 hectares of 15 – 50-year-old vines, planted on three different soil types: Kimmeridgian, white clay and Portlandian. “I think my best Chablis comes from a blend of all three soils,” Guillaume explains. To express the character of these vineyards in the finished wines, Guillaume pays close attention to picking times. “I pick when the seeds in the grape are brown, but before any over-ripeness or botrytis has set in,” he explains. “I like my Chablis to be precise rather than fat and full.” Guillaume’s village Chablis displays lovely lift and freshness on the nose, giving way to supple yet taut fruit on the palate, with a classic cut of acidity on the finish.’