2018 J. Moreau et Fils Grand Cru Valmur

J. Moreau is without a doubt our most popular Chablis house, and for good reason: Every single bottle they produce overdelivers.

Their top-tier wines are rare in the US, and this one is nearly impossible to find on our shores. So the chance to offer their 2018 Valmur—the bottling that winemaker Lucie Depuyd cites as the house’s most iconic, from a vintage Decanter suggested could “rival the mythical 1947”—inspired one of the fastest yeses we’ve ever uttered. 

Few regions express terroir with greater transparency than Chablis, and the Valmur climat is likewise defined by its trademark Kimmeridgian soils—crumbly, porous, and shot through with tiny, fossilized oyster shells from when this region was submerged under an ancient sea 150 million years ago. This special soil has been long known for producing Chablis’ incomparable Chardonnay, but in the hands of J. Moreau, it takes on a pronounced, pulsating mineral drive that makes it especially transcendent.

Valmur’s angular vineyard sits in a small valley cut into the slope, and its slight amphitheater shape means the vines benefit from a unique exposure, helping give the wines a split personality defined by a duality of steely bite and sun-dappled ripeness. 

To ensure they account for every whisper of that terroir character in the final wine, J. Moreau ages most of it in stainless steel, and the rest in 25% used oak barrels for nine months—a significant level of restraint for a house that was built by a cooper. 

A terroir-infused gem worthy of any cellar or dinner table, this Grand Cru Chablis is intriguing now but has the bones to add weight and complexity over the decades to come.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Sweetness
• Acidity

• ABV 13.80%
• 15 mins
• Now – 2045
• % Chardonnay
• Serving temperature – 48°
• Cork