This wine has a vibrant and youthful greenish appearance. It exhibits complex aromas of lemon, ripe apple and melon, supported by pronounced minerality.

The palate is beginning to show the quality of the vintage with richly textured flavours of lemon and apple and together with a little almond and exotic spices. In particular, the oyster shell, saline characters with that distinctive minerality places this wine in the mainstream of the best Chablis producers. The finish is both long and persistent.

The distinguishing feature of this wine is its inherent finesse and sheer balance. This wine is in a window of optimum drinking right now and will drink well for the next five to eight years or even longer.

This is a sheer delight to drink!

This 2018 Besson Petit Chablis is a pleasing, attractive wine with a pale gold colour and a hint of green on the rim.

The aroma is rich in complex citrus flavour with apple blossom and distinctive flintiness. There are also pear-like smells that are reminiscent of some of the more minerally vineyards in AC Chablis. In the background the slate and saline of true Chablis shine through.
The palate has a most enjoyable richness supported by a fine line of acidity that continues to the end of the palate.

This is a Petit Chablis with emerging complexity that has immediate appeal but will age well for up to 5 years.

Great value from one of the best winemakers in Chablis!

This Petit Chablis punches above its weight and could well be mistaken for a village Chablis.

 The Besson family has again produced a wine that is most enjoyable now but that will also cellar well in the short to medium term.

2016 Chablis 1er Cru "Montmains"

2014 Domaine Besson Chablis

Quite pale in colour with a hint of green on the rim, this has a most attractive appearance.

The aroma is redolent of lemon blossom, grapefruit zest, flint and distinctive minerality. In the background there are some pear and apple with just a suggestion of spice.

The front palate has some underlying richness of fruit which is the feature of this wonderful vintage. That is expressed as lemons and apple with a touch of spice. Some richness shows in the middle palate but then the clean acid finishes the wine with a most impressive lift.

This is a most elegant Chablis with the capacity to evolve into something very special.

Domaine Besson 2014 Chablis 1er Cru "Montmains"

Bright, light, limpid yellow in appearance, the aroma is a thrilling mix of ripe pears and peach that is superbly complemented by smells of herbs, minerals, jasmine and just a hint of spice. In the background some tropical fruits emerge with a splash of lemon zest to add further complexity to a wine that is superbly expressive of the underlying richness of the 2014 vintage.

The freshness of the lemony fruits leads into a creamy mouth feel with overtones of nuts, honey and nectarine. This is all bound up by some very impressive mouth-watering acidity that holds the fruits and the structure of the wine in perfect harmony.

A wine of great purity, concentration and seemingly endless complexities.

The Premier Cru vineyard “Montmains” is on the ‘left’ bank of the Serein River and is renowned for producing wine of exceptional quality.

Relatively pale in colour, the aroma is quite superb. There is a concentration of ripe citrus fruits, a pear-like character that is very attractive and an underlying minerality which is the hallmark of Chablis.

On the palate, the wine begins delightfully with a rich, yet fine, fruit flavor that is reminiscent of peach and other stone fruits. There is a lovely acid balance with an appealing mouth-feel followed by great length and complexity.

2014 Domaine Besson Chablis Grand Cru "Les Clos"

Quite pale in colour with a hint of green on the rim, this has a most attractive appearance.

The aroma is redolent of lemon blossom, grapefruit zest, flint and distinctive minerality. In the background there are some pear and apple with just a suggestion of spice.

The front palate has some underlying richness of fruit which is the feature of this wonderful vintage. That is expressed as lemons and apple with a touch of spice. Some richness shows in the middle palate but then the clean acid finishes the wine with a most impressive lift.

This is a most elegant Chablis with the capacity to evolve into something very special.

2013 Domaine Besson Chablis

The colour of the 2013 Chablis shows just a hint of development with a light, bright, sparkling gold. On the nose we find the very typical components of minerals, some stone fruits and lemon essence.

 On the palate, there are rich flavours with lemon and a hint of spice to the fore. The middle palate has excellent weight, with intensity and length.

 This is an excellent wine to drink now on its own or with a range of seafood.

Domaine Besson 2011 Chablis Grand Cru "Vaudésir"

The appearance is absolutely crystal clear with a hint of green on the rim.

On the nose there are complex minerals supported by exotic citrus with some peach and a distinctive spiciness. The flavours are very ripe for Chablis and lead into an unctuous, lifted rich citrus character that even seems a little raisinous.

The palate perisists for what seems to be minutes and the finish is fine and long. This is one of the richest, almost ‘sweet’ white wines to come out of Chablis and is highlighted a lovely intensity and fine acidity.

One of the very special wines from the Besson stable. 18.5+/20

Domaine Besson 2011 Chablis Grand Cru "Les Clos "

Excellent appearance with a light yellow-green colour and beautifully clear on the edge.

This wine shows more pure lemon with a hint of grapefruit as well as some obvious flintiness and fine minerality. The palate has a combination of minerality and underlying power with all of the classic Grand Cru Chablis characters. It is still quite ‘reserved’ and ‘classic’.

This is an austere, fine, long, complex wine with excellent acidity which suggests a wine for the long haul.

It is noteworthy for its great mouth feel and wonderful intensity. 18/20.

Domaine Besson 2010 Chablis

This AC wine has the characters that we expect from Chablis. The pale colour leads into an aroma of minerals, citrus and spice. In the background there are most attractive apple like aromatic plus a degree of typical Chablis flintiness.

It shows minerality and some flintiness. The wine is fine and beautifully balanced with generous fruit and subtle acidity.

This is an attractive and enticing wine that will age gracefully for 5 to 10 years.

A perfect accompaniment to oysters and other shellfish.

Domaine Besson 2009 Chablis

This AC wine has the characters that we expect from Chablis. The pale colour leads into an aroma of minerals, citrus and spice. In the background there are most attractive peach and pear aromatics plus a degree of typical Chablis flintiness.

A generous front palate shows a wine that is already beginning to show some maturity. The peach flavour, in particular, is most enticing and the finish has enough acid to ensure short to medium term ageing but with great early appeal.

Price

$27.50 per bottle $25.00 per bottle in a case (straight or mixed)

Domaine Besson 2009 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains

There is always a lot of discussion about the relative merits of the ‘left bank’ Premier Crus compared to the ‘right bank’ Premier Crus of Chablis. It is on the right bank of the Serein River that the Grand Cru vineyards are located and some very good Premier Crus are to be found here.

On the left bank of the Serein the Premier Crus are slightly more reserved and subtle. This Montmains is no different and shows a restraint and finesse that is most appealing.

The first impression is steely with a suggestion of minerals. In the background there is an underlying richness of some tree fruits like pear and ripe apple. The palate is quite substantial in this vintage and the finish is very long. A wonderful wine as an accompaniment to a host of crustaceans and white flesh fish.

Domaine Besson 2009 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu

If the left bank Premier Cru displays suppleness and some delicacy, here we have the richness that can be found on the other side of the river. The aroma is more tropical and with some white flesh fruits like nectarine and ripe peach.

There is also a discernible level of ripe melon which is a character often reserved for the White Burgundies of the C?te de Beaune. As well as these characters, the essential nature of Chablis comes through with hints of mineral and a degree of flintiness. The palate is very generous with loads of ripe fruits, a fine lick of acid and a finish that continues for some time.

This most ample wine is the perfect match for full flavoured foods like grilled prawns.

Domaine Besson 2009 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudsir

Within the hierarchy of the Grand Crus of Chablis, it is almost always standard for Les Clos to be placed at the top and then Vaud?sir just below. The wonderful part of all of this is the fact that they are different because of the difference in their ‘terroirs’.

This wine is generous to a fault. The aroma is an intriguing mix of ripe, candied fruits, lemon zest, ripe peach and spices. The palate delivery is superb with a rich, full tropical fruit flavour supported by notes of baked apple and cr?me brul?e.

The flavours persist for what seems to be almost timeless, and the finish is both lush and focused with enough acid to keep everything in balance. This wine is simply delightful!

Domaine Besson 2009 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

What most knowledgeable wine commentators will say about ‘Les Clos’ is that it provides the taster with all of the dimensions of the Chablis palette. In short, ‘Les Clos’ is the essence of Chablis.

The Besson style is up there with the very best with its distinctive minerality, a ‘steely’, flinty character with hints of apple, pear, apricot, citrus and spice. The flavours are an amazing amalgamation of richness and restraint, suppleness and subtlety with an underlying ripeness and yet so well fine-tuned by acid.

This superb wine is one of the joys of drinking high quality white wine and just once in everyone’s life this wine should be savoured.