2011 Chablis Mont Milieu 1er Cru

The Garniers’ 2011 Chablis Mont de Milieu – like their Montmains, matured largely in demi-muids plus some stainless steel – leads with a virtual blast of struck flint, quarry dust, ocean breeze, white pepper, fennel pollen and crushed lemon and grapefruit pips. Herbed chicken stock and oyster liqueur mingled with fresh lemon inform a silken, vibrant palate, leading to an infectiously juicy, interactively complex and sizzlingly invigorating finish that positively pinched my cheeks, tickled my tonsils, and milked my salivary glands. Based in little Ligny-les-Chatel on the northern fringe of the Chablis appellation, brothers Jerome and Xavier Garnier have been collaborating for close to a decade, but I only recently tasted a selection of their wines, and then via samples from diverse vintages rather than an on-site tasting focused on their most recent vintage. To state what will be obvious from my tasting notes and scores, this is an estate I shall keenly look forward to visiting next year. The Garniers have served notice of their movement toward lengthening elevage and employing 600-liter barrels, and they have recently joined the long list of top-notch French vignerons whose range of sources has been extended to include Austrian oak crafted by Stockinger. (Due allowance being made for these wines’ high quality, I am, nonetheless, at a loss to explain why the suggested retail prices sent me by the Garniers’ importer seemed so high, and I did not find a significant number of U.S. retail offerings with which to compare them.) Importer: Serge Dore Selections, Ltd., Chappaqua, NY; tel. (914) 861-9206