Thomas Labille Chablis

Thomas Labille farms fourteen hectares of old-vine Chardonnay on the left bank of the Serein River in Chablis, where Kimmeridgian limestone and clay define the appellation's identity. His winemaking splits from the region's stainless-steel default: fermentation happens in both tank and neutral oak, followed by aging on fine lees with regular stirring. The result is a Chablis that delivers the appellation's signature minerality alongside a rounder, more textured profile that reads closer to Côte de Beaune than the razor-edged bottles most drinkers expect from northern Burgundy. Labille's approach is informed by terroir but not enslaved to it. The Kimmeridgian marl that anchors Chablis — an ancient seabed thick with fossilized oyster shells — gives the wine its cool mineral backbone, but extended lees contact and neutral oak aging add weight and texture without introducing new wood flavor. The lees stirring builds a creamy, almost lactic richness on the mid-palate, a technique more common in the Côte d'Or than in this northern corner of Burgundy. Labille's fourteen hectares are worked with minimal intervention, and the old vines contribute concentration and depth that younger plantings can't match. Streaks of honey and white melon open the glass, followed by a decadently plush texture that comes from lees rather than butter or oak. Sunny lemon and lime acidity keeps the wine grounded, and there's a cool tang of steel on the finish, a reminder that this is still Chablis, still shaped by that fossilized seabed. It's a wine that satisfies two cravings at once: the crispness you want from northern Burgundy and the textural richness that makes Chardonnay such a versatile table companion. Pair this with anything rich and briny — oysters, buttery poached lobster, trout amandine, or a chicken pot pie with tarragon. It holds up beautifully to cream-based pastas and plays well with aged Comté or a triple-crème cheese. In stock at Off Premise in Lincoln Park.