Domaine Beaufumé Chablis 2022

Chablis for under $30? Be still my beating heart! Domaine Beaufumé is a family-run estate that’s been around for generations, with 18 hectares of land to grow and make both Chablis and Petit Chablis between Lignorelles and Villy. This 2022 is lovely and crisp, with a wonderful balance between minerality and ripe fruit...and nearly 40% off makes it all the tastier!

Domaine Beaufumé has supplied carefully farmed grapes to Chablisienne producers for three generations, recently turning to crafting their own wines in 2014. Bernard Beaufumé took over the estate in 1989 and is credited for doubling its size and increasing its reach, while his wife, Valérie, is the estate’s astute winemaker. The domaine has long practiced sustainable farming methods, working the soil to enhance the terroir and impart plenty of mineral freshness into their bottlings. Since 2021, they’ve held the High Environment Value Level 3 certification, a show of their commitment to ecological vineyard management, biodiversity, and low-intervention winemaking.

The grapes for this 2022 vintage were grown mainly on the property’s south and southeast-facing hillside sites, flourishing amidst the area’s signature Kimmeridgian clay and limestone soils. The estate’s facilities are modern and spacious, and Valérie has said, “Nothing has changed in the vines as my husband has always done the work – the difference is that the grapes are pressed and vinified here rather than shipped to the Chablisienne. We are raisonée (“reasoning”) in the vines, and we are in the vines every day so our reactions to issues are fast.”

The husband-and-wife team’s dedication to their craft is clear – and this pure, crisp, and clean Chablis is the greatest evidence! Aromas of summer peaches, green apple, and a hint of grass create a fresh and taut entry, with more flavors of orchard fruit on the palate, along with zingy lemon zest, mango, and an angular mineral backbone of crushed gravel that leads to an ample, generous finish. All-around balanced, expansive, and pleasantly bright Chablis, at a wondrous price of under $30 a bottle! This is a deal not to miss!

PAIRING IDEAS: Go for a plentiful dish of halibut and white bean puttanesca – the light, flaky fish and rich tomato sauce with creamy cannellini beans will be a perfect complement to this luminous and zesty Chablis!