VINOUS – Explore all things wine, by Neal Martin
“We sprayed 20 times for nothing in 2024 » Fabien Moreau tells me, coming straight to the point. I recall my visit last year when he told me that mildew was finishing off any of his vineyards that were not impacted by hail. “In 2024, we lost 92% of the Grand Crus, 75% in Vaillons and 40% with the Village Crus. The most damage was on the Right Bank, which was hit by hail on May 1. On that day, we lost 80% in Valmur, Vaudésir and Petit Chablis. The second hail was in July. We also had some frost damage, mostly in Vaillons. We had rain until January 2025, so mildew was rampant. We made 30 hectolitres of Grand Cru. Organic farming was right on the edge, but we will continue.”
At least there is a new vintage never more than 12 months away. Moreau told me that the bunches are quite big in 2025, although the number is regular.
2024 Chablis Village (85-87)
The 2024 Chablis Village, which was taken from tank, has a light, fresh, marine-influenced bouquet that becomes quite smoky. The palate is lightly spiced, with fine weight, a citric finish and moderate length.
2024 Chablis Les Pargues (88-90)
The 2024 Chablis Les Pargues has a little more cohesion and complexity than the Village. Light orange pith and almond notes emanate from the glass. The palate is well balanced with clementine and melon notes. This is not long, but it feels clean and poised. The 2024 is a success in the context of the growing season.
2024 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru (89-91)
The 2024 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru fermented in barrels and tanks. This has a pretty bouquet, with some slightly prominent oak, but that will be subsumed by the time it is bottled. The palate is fresh on the entry with Satsuma and flecks of white peach. This has fine acidity and it’s delicate but quite persistent in the mouth. The 2024 is just very Vaillons.
2024 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau (90-92)
The 2024 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau is comprised of one barrel and one WineGlobe this year that were blended for my sample. « It is the first year I have got something quite interesting with the WineGlobe, » Fabien Moreau told me. This has a harmonious bouquet with lime, orange pith and light walnut scents. The palate is lively on the entry. The 2024 has good weight, a keen line of acidity and a touch of Japanese yuzu on the finish. This might only be bottled en magnum.
2024 Chablis Grand Cru (90-92)
The 2024 Chablis Grand Cru represents the first time in six generations that Moreau’s five Grand Crus were blended together due to the pitiful yields. For most of them, Moreau would have had to do a micro-vinification. It has a well-defined bouquet with a light patisserie component, just a hint of frangipani and crushed stone. The palate is well balanced with a citrus-led entry, clementine and ginger notes. This is harmonious, though not riveting in terms of complexity. Yet this has the weight of a Grand Cru and it is long on the finish. The 2024 is very fine.
2023 Chablis Village (87)
The 2023 Chablis Village has a crisp, stony bouquet that feels a little neutral in style. The palate is well balanced with a keen line of acidity and citric notes of mandarin and grapefruit. This has fine weight on the finish, even if it’s not the most complex cuvée that Fabien Moreau produced this vintage. Drink this over four to five years.
2023 Chablis Les Pargues (87)
The 2023 Chablis Les Pargues is distributed on the French market only. It has a fresh, Crustacea-tinged bouquet that’s quite flinty in style. The palate is well balanced with good weight, slightly creamy texture, slightly low acidity and a touch of chamomile on the finish. Fine.
2023 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru (90)
The 2023 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru, which did not complete malolactic fermentation to retain acidity, has a vivacious, flinty nose that leaps from the glass. The palate is well balanced with a steely opening. Seductive lemon thyme and orange pith notes come through on the mid-palate, with a dab of ginger that enlivens the finish. The 2023 is very fine.
2023 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau (91)
The 2023 Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru Cuvée Guy Moreau, which comes from 90-year-old vines, did not finish its fermentation until the following June. It is a little broader on the nose compared to the regular cuvée and this displays a touch more depth. The palate is well balanced and fresh with a bead of acidity and hints of toffee apple and white peach toward the finish. This is very fine.
2023 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru (92)
The 2023 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru has a tightly wound bouquet with scents of tangerine, freshly picked gooseberry and flinty aromas. The palate is taut and fresh, mixing red apple with orange rind and light white tea notes. This is a well-crafted Vaudésir with satisfying weight on the finish.
2023 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru (91)
The 2023 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru has a neutral bouquet that does not quite possess the charm of the Vaudésir this year. The palate is strict, fresh and linear in style, with hints of praline toward the composed finish. It does not « take off » as a Grand Cru should, though it lingers in the mouth. Maybe this has more to give?
2023 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru (93)
The 2023 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru is more old school, with greener, apple-like fruit. It’s quite stony and more reserved than the Vaudésir. The palate is fresh and vibrant, with a lively thread of acidity. This is composed, with a dash of spice toward the finish that has put on a bit of weight since last year. The 2023 is very promising.
2023 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru (91+)
The 2023 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru has a neutral, stony nose that is outperformed by the Valmur this year. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. Fresh clementines intermix with gooseberry and red apple notes. It is quite peppery and admirably persistent toward the finish. Give this a couple of years in bottle.
2023 Chablis Les Clos Clos des Hospices (93)
The 2023 Chablis Les Clos Clos des Hospices definitely has more mineralité and complexity on the nose compared to the regular cuvée. This is animated. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, more nervosité and precision here and hints of white peach and yuzu toward the finish. The 2023 is excellent.
Burgundy Report par Bill Nanson – Mai 2025
Fabien on 2024:
“20 treatments! And that was for less than half of what we produced in 2021. And the grand crus only 6 hl/ha – there will only be a single grand cru cuvée – and not a big one. My father and grandfather have no memory of blending the grand cru climats before. There was no Petit Chablis either, so I think that there will only be three cuvées next year…”
Fabien on 2023:
“It was just the 4th time in 22 years that we have a full harvest – so it was a generous vintage – but the cellar is still looking quite empty. We are organic, so we had to treat a lot – pre-2024, the last comparable year was 2016 for the amount of work in the vines but the recompense was that the volume was 60 hl/ha – we didn’t have that in 2016! We don’t have high degrees – 12.3-13° and not large acidities – but I did no acidification – I tried it once in 2003 and didn’t like the result – though I sometimes don’t do the malo. The rain was strong in June & July but we needed the sun of August. 2 weeks of strong heat before the harvest ripened everything but did reduce the acidity…”
The Wines:
A super range – and what concentration too despite ‘full yields.’ A number of wines here I’d leave in the cellar for the best part of 5 years – or much more! They are concentrated but will have ever more direct style the longer you wait…
2023 Chablis Les Pargues
1.5 ha of domaine vines in Pargues. Golden wax topped for this – and the cuvée Guy Moreau and the Clos des Hospices – bottled with the grand crus in February.
A concentrated not fully open nose – hints of citrus bitters. Hmm, this has lovely scale in the mouth – wide and very fine focus of faint bitters and mineral complexities. It’s long too , faintly saline. I’d keep this a little – maybe a year or two to relax and open out. It could be excellent…
2023 Chablis 1er Vaillon
There are 6 parcels of Vaillon at the domaine – 5 are assembled for this cuvée. This a September bottling. Diam 10 from here – the previous were diam 5
More direct, a small sizzle of aromatic energy here. Wider, deeper, growing in intensity with a small cushion of the barrel. Extra large in this finish. Holding so well – that’s an excellent wine – but wait 2-3 years before drinking. Fabien is loving his 2014s right now…
2023 Chablis 1er Vaillons Cuvée Guy Moreau
Vines 80 years old in this vintage – and a great volume in 2023 – ‘because we had the usual amount of bunches but they are typically millerandé – but not in 23…’
Extra volume of aroma again – slightly padded by some creamy barrel. A super sizzle of cool energy here – the concentration is overt with maybe a little orange fruit here – but the flavours are mouth-watering and super silky. More ‘comfortable’ finishing and fading only very, very slowly. Give it time – it’s going to be excellent wine…
2023 Chablis Vaudésir
0.5 ha – high near Valmur.
Extra freshness but no less concentration – an acidulated style to the ripe citrus. Extra freshness here – lovely energy – the complexity of flavour growing. Ooh that’s already rather accessible and completely delicious. – What a super wine – and I could happily drink it already today…
2023 Chablis Blanchot
2.5 barrels in this vintage…
A more vertical nose – fine high tones and a precision to the details too. Ooh – now that’s a juicy, direct wine – it’s already my new favourite. Direct, a finely vibrant energy. The finish melding the direct style with a wider, more melting palate of flavours – love it !!
2023 Chablis Valmur
Part of this waiting to be replanted in 2026 – 0.6 ha currently in production.
The freshness of the Blanchot but with more width of aroma. Incisive, cool, less juicy but still mouth-watering – the energy here is a mineral one – a wine of tension. The finish is a haunting one – that’s a great Valmur…
2023 Chablis Le Clos
They have top, middle and bottom of the clos in this cuvée. Two bottlings of this – this and another part which will be bottled in May – later commercialising to get through the ‘hole’ of volume from 2024.
Very pure and complex – maybe even a suggestion of aniseed in this complexity – beautifully detailed. Really wide, obviously concentrated – supported by fine minerality – the flavour melts with some small generosity over the palate. A palate that’s saturated with flavour in the finish – wow. I think I’d honestly want to wait 10 years for this – it will be great…
2023 Chablis Le Clos des Hospices dans Les Clos
Of course, from the bottom of the Clos.
I usually see plenty of oak in this wine but this year it’s more discrete – the aromas have some beautiful complexity and clarity. Hmm, ultra direct, quite incisive, then wide, wide, wide. Such a different character to the previous Clos – more accessible but still also a wine I’d want to be patient with – maybe ‘only’ 5-6 years of waiting.
Tasting notes from Jancis Robinson and Tamlyn Currin – Janvier 2025
Dom Christian Moreau Père et Fils 2023 Chablis
Still such a baby. Tingling (literally). Green but not green. Apple skin and kiwi and lime peel. Dainty and very pointed. (TC)
Dom Christian Moreau Père et Fils, Vaillons Premier Cru 2023 Chablis
Real cut and excitement on the nose. Just the sort of crystalline refreshment one seeks in a fine Chablis. (JR)
Dom Christian Moreau Père et Fils, Vaillons Cuvée Guy Moreau Premier Cru 2023 Chablis
Grilled peaches. This is pretty exciting. Rich. Clementine. Walnut. Whorl of fruit and flavour and almost plump in texture. Candied citrus peel and spice. Long and demanding of attention. Quite theatrical and extravagant for Chablis! (TC)
Dom Christian Moreau Père et Fils, Vaudésir 2023 Chablis Grand Cru
Tank sample, to be bottled in February.
Grainy and richer than the Vaillons. Should last well but it would be a shame to drink it too young. Lots to chew on at this point! (JR)
Dom Christian Moreau Père et Fils, Les Clos 2023 Chablis Grand Cru
Certified organic. Cask sample.
Much more composed and less showy than the Vaillons Cuvée Guy Moreau. Tastes so elemental. All chalk and cryptocrystalline tension, zimming with lime, white-stone dust clouds of minerality. Like a harp. Something quite aerial about this; silvery, fine. But also fiercely focused. Very, very exciting. (TC)
Tim Atkin’s 2023 Burgundy – Special Report
