Bessin-Tremblay Chablis 1er Cru La Fourchaume 2023

The Wine Advocate
RP 93+

Reviewed by: Kristaps Karklins

Broader and more expressive than the Montmains, the 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume offers a deep bouquet of juicy peach, orange oil and mirabelle plum, making a rich yet precise wine, full-bodied and lifted by a vibrant line of acidity. Beneath the shine of the fruit is a chalky backbone leading to a resonant, saline finish subtly marked by orange zest. An exuberant expression of this right-bank terroir, in stylistic contrast to the tauter, more restrained Montmains.

Jean-Claude Bessin has officially retired, handing the reins to his sons, Romain and Antoine. Romain now looks after the vineyards, while Antoine runs the cellar. What was Domaine Jean-Claude Bessin has been renamed Domaine Bessin-Tremblay, Tremblay being the surname of Romain's mother, the source of many of the domaine's vines. The name may have changed, but the quality of this 12.3-hectare domaine in La Chapelle-Vaupelteigne remains just as impressive.