Chablis Premier Cru 'Mont de Milieu', Alice & Olivier De Moor, France 2022
Chablis Premier Cru 'Mont de Milieu', Alice & Olivier De Moor, France 2022
“The 2022 is superb.” - Neal Martin, Vinous, 94 points
"I don't like wines that are too acidic" is a statement that we hear with metronomic regularity, but it's a bit of a semantic snowflake. If it's too acidic, you've already judged it to be unfavourable by the use of the word 'too'. Without any qualification, the subsequent adjective becomes entirely arbitrary. The person might as well have said "I don't like wines that are too melodramatic" or "too fluffy" or "too religious." The premise assumes the conclusion, so it’s akin to saying "I don't like things that exceed my as-yet unspecified point of tolerance." It's odd, but I've noticed that I don't get invited to parties anymore.
Some people find the De Moor wines very acidic, but in the 2022 vintage there is so much fruit ripeness, that the balance is more centrally aligned. We love the way that the sharpness cuts through the fruit giving a really tense and thrilling experience, where the succulence comes in the shape of quince and clementine, embittered by grapefruit and kumquat and given a mineral dusting with impressions of gypsum and chalk. This is Chablis at its most thrilling and incisive, wonderfully concentrated yet buoyant and lifted. Drink now-2032.
Press review:
Vinous [bottles sample]: “A gorgeous bouquet with wonderfully delineated frangipani, almond, orchard fruit and light camomile aromas. The palate is so pure and tensile, with stunning balance and nectarine, stem ginger and a touch of 5-spice toward the persistent finish. The 2022 is superb. Drink now-2040.” 94 points
Vinous [barrel sample]: “The 2022 Chablis Mont de Milieu was taken directly from foudres and Alice de Moor told me that there was still around 4.5 g/l of sugar left to ferment. The aromatics are a little reticent, just hints of yellow fruit and pear emerging with time (reluctantly). The palate is very elegant and refined. A keen thread of acidity, very harmonious already with a tender finish, this is very promising on the palate and should be a must-buy when released next year.” (92-94) points