Domaine Laroche : Chablis Grand cru "Les Blanchots" 2015

The 2015 Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots has an impressive, quite vivacious and flattering bouquet of ripe clementines and quince, a hint of blackcurrant leaf and an undertow of mineralité. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, waxy in texture with almond and white peach toward the finish that does not quite deliver the precision of the Bouguerots. Give this two or three years in bottle.

Very pale straw-yellow. Slightly musky aromas of lemon, lime, white flowers, ginger and crushed stone suggest a classic austere Chablis. Juicy, savory and dry, even a bit lean in the middle, with citrus, spice and mineral flavors in need of a bit more texture and sweetness. Finishes with a slight phenolic bitterness--or is this wine just a bit lacking in supporting mid-palate texture? Softened nicely with air, suggesting that a good decanting--or, better yet, a few years in the cellar--will bring a more satisfying balance.

Plenty of aromatic freshness, with notes of hawthorn, thyme and talc in this refined, intensely structured wine, driven by superb tension. Rich in dry extract, with a vibrant finish, here is the cellar's champion, destined for a bright future.