Domaine Beaufumé Petit Chablis 2022

If you want the style and overall personality of Chablis without the steep price sticker, Petit Chablis is the way to go. This 92 point 2022 vintage could easily pass for its big sister, with its jubilantly fleshy profile, mineral edge, and bright acidity. It’s complex and crisp, yet goes down magnificently smoothly...making this one of our top picks for go-to spring white wines!

Domaine Beaufumé is a family-run estate that’s been around for generations, owning 18 hectares of land to grow and make both Chablis and Petit Chablis between Lignorelles and Villy. 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.

For those new to it, Petit Chablis is a style of Chardonnay grown in the Chablis region, though the vineyards are typically at higher elevation with cooler temperatures, and the soils are typically a mix of younger limestone and sand (not the standard ancient Kimmeridgean soil of prototypical Chablis). These main differences allow Petit Chablis to be a bit more youthful and extra crisp, and while it can be done exceptionally well, the price points are generally much more approachable than their counterparts. Grown upon Portlandien clay-limestone soils with south and southeast exposure, mostly atop a plateau, this wine’s vines average an age of 35 years old.

Fermentation and aging take place in stainless steel to preserve the ultimate freshness and steely minerality, and man, is this refreshing! The glass opens with aromas and flavors of both lemon and lime, plus orange pith, white peach, white flowers, wet stones, and an oh-so-satisfying saline note on the finish. This is immaculately balanced, with a pleasant and slightly chalky texture and expansive depth – it just brings you back for the next sip with no hesitation. So unbelievably good, we’d confidently call it straight-up Chablis in a blind tasting! For $25 and free shipping on 6 bottles – this is as good a deal as you’ll find in or outside of Chablis!

PAIRING IDEAS: Light, bright, and happier than a spring day, this wine begs for some lovely seafood fare to amplify all its zesty and mineral notes. We’re opting for scallop crudo, done up Italian style with olive oil, flaky sea salt, a sprinkle of lemon zest, some chili flakes, and a few drops of lemon juice.