2022 Chablis, Vosgros, 1er Cru, Didier & Pascal Picq, Burgundy

Bright pale luminous yellow, one of the fleshier wines this year before refining to a precise aquiline finish. Just a hint of bitterness behind. Sort of a Vauclaire plus. This could very well grow from here.

The 2022 Chablis Vosgros 1er Cru takes a little more time to open on the nose than Picq’s other cuvées but eventually reveals eucalyptus-tinged citrus fruit flanked by wet stone aromas. The palate is very well-balanced with a fine bead of acidity, very saline but with a countervailing, almost honeyed element keeping this on its toes. This is a brilliant follow-up to the 2021.

Well, the first good news is that winemaker Didier Picq was there waiting for me at his winery in Chichée – he forgot our appointment on the last couple of occasions. This is a go-to name for those seeking steely; you could almost describe them as “mean” Chablis wines that see no wood. “I picked from September 1 over ten days,” he tells me as we broach his 2022s. “The vines compensated for the small yields in the previous year. I think it’s a great vintage.” Picq’s wines, like others, do benefit from bottle age and require time to blossom in the glass, which is why they so often fare less well in blind tastings.