Sébastien Christophe Chablis 2023

Profile & Story

Sébastien Christophe is a young grower in Chablis who, in 1999, began vinifying a half-hectare parcel of Petit Chablis planted by his grandfather; he has since steadily acquired both owned and rented parcels, farming the rented land entirely himself. All of his vines sit on the right bank of the Serein River — the grand cru side — planted mostly from the 1980s through the 2000s on medium to steep, south-facing slopes between 180 and 220 meters, including plots in the premier crus Montée de Tonnerre and Fourchaume; he also holds a third premier cru, Mont de Milieu. He relied solely on organic-certified vineyard treatments for years before beginning formal organic conversion in 2021. Nearly all of his wine is exported, with only a small allocation reaching top addresses in Paris; The Source Imports was the first importer to bring his wines into the United States. All grapes are hand-harvested and spontaneously fermented, undergo full malolactic fermentation, and are aged principally in stainless steel, with less than 10% seeing time in neutral oak barrels of varying age for the cru bottlings, before fining and filtration. Christophe's approach favors the character of the vineyard over cellar technique, in keeping with regional practice, resulting in a classically spare, mineral-driven style that is precise and vertical, closer in character to Loire Valley whites than to the Côte d'Or. The 2023 Chablis was aged for seven to eight months in stainless steel following natural fermentation and full malolactic fermentation, then fined with bentonite and filtered with diatomaceous earth, both natural products. It is typically an extroverted wine, showing classic chablisienne character of freshly struck flint, wet stone, and citrus on the nose, with a palate full of textural grit and dimension, fresh acidity, and savory fruit that seems barely touched by sunshine — a wine that demonstrates just how complex a village-level Chablis can be.