Description
Guy Robin, Chablis Premier Cru “Montée de Tonnerre”
Since I’ve always talked a big game when it comes to Robin’s “Montée de Tonnerre,” I finally put it to the test by matching today’s 2020 release against not one, but two $85+ Grand Crus. The victor lies before you. In my eyes, securing any amount of today’s Premier Cru makes you a sage practitioner of elite Burgundy because if I had less than $50 to spend on Chardonnay, Guy Robin’s “Montée de Tonnerre” would get short-listed every single time.
Half of the reason is the prime terroir itself: Perched immediately upstream from “Les Clos” and Co., this revered site is considered by many sommeliers and Chablis lobbyists to be an unspoken Grand Cru. The second half of the equation is the genius and artistry behind Domaine Guy Robin: Their heirloom vines up on “Thunder Mountain” yield a profound expression of white Burgundy that is then spontaneously fermented and lovingly aged in high-quality oak barrels. The result in 2020 was a Premier Cru Chablis that’s unafraid to joust for French Chardonnay supremacy. Open this now or in five years and its thundering energy and luxurious power will command respect at any dinner table. Up to 12 bottles per person.
Every year, we are the lucky beneficiaries of Guy Robin’s foresight: Back in the 1960s, he assembled a spectacular collection of vineyard plots in Chablis, including parcels in five Grand Crus and four Premier Crus. Later, he resisted the urge to replant those vineyards with higher-yielding clones of Chardonnay (as many others did), and now his daughter, Marie-Ange Robin, is blessed with perhaps the richest trove of old vines in the region. Furthermore, Guy Robin’s shrewd vineyard acquisitions also included significant stands of vines on their original rootstock!
Montée de Tonnerre is, in the minds of many experts, an “honorary” Grand Cru, i.e. as close as Premier Crus get to that top tier. The site shares similar expositions with Chablis’ famed cluster of Grand Crus, with Grand Cru “Blanchots” literally situated across a slender ravine. Montée de Tonnerre wraps around a hillside and is traditionally broken up into three smaller lieux-dits: “Pied d’Aloup” (at the top of the slope, facing east); “Chapelot” (more south-facing); and “Côte de Brechain” (the western slopes). Unsurprisingly, the Robins have 40-60-year-old vines in all three sections, and they blend this vinous trifecta together to offer a panoramic view.
All grapes are harvested by hand and whisked away to the cellar for a gentle pressing that’s followed by 24 hours of settling. The juice then spontaneously ferments and matures in French barrels, 10% new, for one year which always lends an extra textural gear. With 15-30 minutes in a decanter, this struts a powerful mineral core that stretches broadly and deeply alongside an energetic cast of plush fruit. But the real magic for Robin’s “Thunder Mountain” generally doesn’t start until around birthdays 3-5, and from there it keeps building. This 2020 is a return to the tension and mineral brilliance that I’ve come to love in these wines. There is still beautiful, orchard-fruit-drenched richness on the mid-palate but the finish sizzles and dominates with crushed chalk, wet stone, and oyster shell. This is the type of crystalline, perfectly structured Chablis that’ll make someone a lifetime believer/follower. Enjoy!
