2022 Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume Les Côtes de Fontenay, Domaine Vrignaud

• Style: Unoaked, mineral-driven Chardonnay
• Taste: Green citrus, apple blossom, fennel, limestone minerality, lean and focused
• Food: Oysters, crab, halibut, shellfish & bright seafood
• Occasion: Date night, gifting, aperitivo
• Serve: Chilled; 5–7 years’ keeping, drink now

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Pale and bright, this 2022 opens with green citrus and apple blossom before a mineral spine of pure limestone runs clean through the finish. Acidity snaps like sea spray; the fruit stays lean and disciplined, with no oak fat to soften the edges. At 13% ABV, it drinks with impressive balance despite its steely character, built to reward several years' keeping yet approachable now.

The Winery — Domaine Vrignaud

Guillaume Vrignaud joined the family estate in 1999 and persuaded his father to leave the co-op and build their own cellar. The domaine has since expanded from 12 to 28 hectares, all farmed organically. Guillaume's philosophy centres on precise harvest timing—he picks when grape seeds turn brown but before any over-ripeness develops, believing this yields the lean, focused character he favours. The 2022 vintage saw exceptional conditions: spring frosts caused minimal damage, summer brought warmth and low disease pressure, and August rain gave final ripeness. The Côtes de Fontenay vineyard, a 1.23-hectare south-facing plot on pure Kimmeridgian limestone, holds 60-year-old vines. The must fermented cool in stainless steel for 13 days with selected yeasts, underwent malolactic conversion, then aged 12 months on lees with occasional stirring before bottling in March 2024.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This is wine for the seafood course: oysters, crab claws, halibut in lemon butter sauce. The acidity and mineral spine make it equally at home as an aperitivo, cutting through richness with clarity, or as a gifting bottle that speaks to careful winemaking and terroir. Serve chilled and explore more by browsing our Chardonnay selection, our Chablis range, and white wines from France.