2020 Henri Costal Les Truffieres Chablis Burgundy 750 ml

When it comes to Chablis, legendary importer Kermit Lynch is not an easy guy to impress. He’s been to the top of the mountain, having imported Domaine Raveneau—the most celebrated estate of Chablis—since 1979.

Yet all it took was one barrel tasting with Romain Collet, a grower-producer with Chablis roots dating back to the French Revolution, to form a joint venture: Domaine Costal.

Les Truffières is a single-vineyard wine named for the truffles that once grew in this 20-year-old plot. It’s farmed organically—and at Kermit’s request, not filtered or cold-stabilized. Almost immediately, this custom plot, custom vinification, and custom label gained a following.

The Wall Street Journal called the Costal wines “beautifully balanced” and “worth searching out.” MICHELIN-star somms at hotspots like Sonoma’s 3-Star SingleThread soon lined up to pour Costal’s Chablis Les Truffières by the glass.

We feel fortunate to have secured a small annual allocation, especially after our members rated the last vintage 4.3 stars after snapping up every bottle we had.

Les Truffières has the uncanny ability to show off two of the appellation’s most thrilling aspects: weight and cut. It darts from taut to lush, with a lip-smacking orchard-fruit core and a clean, slicing acidity. And while it hails from the region’s northernmost reaches, it's more generous than anyone would expect, showing the weight more typically associated with Premier Cru vineyards.

When we asked him what he liked to pour Costal’s Chablis with, SingleThread wine director Rusty Rastello said “It’s perfect for a raw bar on a hot summer day, but you can also dress it up and serve it with some grilled halibut over a cold corn and cherry tomato salad.”