2020 Dampt Freres Eric et Emanuel Dampt Reserve du Domaine Chablis Burgundy 750 ml

We turned onto the unpaved stretch of 1 Rue de Fleys looking for our B&B. The last thing we expected to find was a high-toned, old-vine marvel of northern white Burgundy.

The estate we had stumbled across, Vignobles Dampt Frères, possesses holdings in some of the region’s best vineyards, and their wines are poured at fine-dining hotspots like the two-MICHELIN-starred Saison.   

We waved down a fellow in Wellington boots, who then shouted for Emmanuel Dampt. Before we knew it we were tasting this 2020 Réserve du Domaine with the winemaker while a spring rainstorm rattled the roof.

The 45- to 75-year-old vines behind this crystalline, beautifully opulent reserve cuvée pushed out just enough grapes to satisfy a few close friends and neighbors—but we talked Emmanuel into letting us take a few cases home. When we poured it for our wine team, they were SHOCKED it wasn’t a Premier Cru. 

We were already aware of Vignoble Dampt Frères’s reputation—we’d just never made a house call before. 

It all started, Emmanuel told us, when his father Bernard acquired a small piece of land in the 1980s. He expanded those holdings over the decades, ensuring that his three sons would inherit a priceless map of Chablis vineyards. Today they craft dozens of cuvées, from village wines to tough-to-find Grands Crus. 

One sniff evokes the freshness of that April shower during our trip to the estate. There’s flint and chamomile on the nose and a bounty of citrus on the palate, honed by a fine spine of acid. Vinified in stainless steel, it’s got verve and muscle, tension and richness.

It’s a breathtaking, must-try Chablis—thanks to the best wrong turn we ever made.