2022 Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Vaillons Premier Cru Chablis 750 ml

For many collectors, Vincent Dauvissat is Chablis—one of the pinnacle producers in Burgundy, whose wines manage to both transcend Chablis and also capture its essence in every sip. His wines grace the wine lists of MICHELIN-starred restaurants worldwide, and allocations for every bottle are fierce.

The Dauvissat magic can be expressed simply, even if copying it has proved impossible: His wines taste and smell like Chablis, but more pure, intense, and complex. Unlike Raveneau, his only peer in the region, Dauvissat’s house style plays second-fiddle to the purity of the terroir he works with.

And within the Dauvissat lineup, the Vaillons Premier Cru is one of his most coveted bottlings. Vaillons is one of the top Premier Cru sites in Chablis—Burgundy expert Rajat Parr calls it the “most important” Left Bank Chablis Cru—with exceptionally stony soils and perfect exposition. The combination allows it to retain healthy acidity and profound minerality, but adds a certain Grand Cru–style richness overtop the classic rocks and seashell stoniness.

You cannot go wrong stockpiling 2022s from Chablis from the region’s greatest producers. It was a hot season that nevertheless has great acidity, thanks to some well-timed, refreshing August rain. Decanter, a leading authority on European wine, rated the vintage 4.5/5 stars, calling it “a very fine vintage for Chablis that combines the freshness of 2017/2021 with the warmth and ripeness of 2019/2020.” That’s especially true here.