The late Stéphane Moreau was a devotee of Vincent Dauvissat, Didier Dagueneau and Nadi Foucault of Clos Rougeard and offered everything searched for in quality growers of white Burgundy. Here was a talent that had turned his family Domaine around by reintroducing the old, pre-industrial growing methods to make something truly distinctive and extraordinary.

Moreau-Naudet was recently promoted to two stars in La Revue du Vin de France—only Raveneau and Dauvissat rate higher in the region. This is a credit to both the legacy of Stéphane Moreau but also to the Domaine’s continued evolution under Virginie Moreau. It helps, of course, when you have friends like Vincent Dauvissat to call on, yet all credit must go to Virginie and her team, who have not had the easiest of rides. Frustratingly, Moreau has been forced to deal with three severely frost-affected harvests in her first quartet of vintages. Reputation counts for little in the face of Burgundy’s unsettled climate.

Here, the style is borne by low yields and ripe fruit and that crunchy, citric, acid tang of generic Chablis finds itself replaced by an intense, mineral freshness interwoven with pulpy and generous fruit. We recognise the personality of these wines. We see it in all the finest, artisanal Burgundy. This makes sense—Moreau’s method sounds identical to the best growers of the Côte de Beaune.

Moreau’s vineyards are some of the most fastidiously tended in Chablis: his soils are ploughed, and no weed killers, insecticides or chemical treatments are used. Only weak doses of organic fertilizer are added when needed. Much like Stéphane, Virginie chooses to (hand) harvest slightly later than her neighbours to ensure perfect ripeness.