Joseph Drouhin Chablis 2024

Maison Joseph Drouhin is one of Burgundy's old, reliable names, and their Chablis is exactly what you want the appellation to taste like — no oak, no fuss, just Chardonnay grown on the fossil-rich Kimmeridgian limestone of northern Burgundy, bottled under their Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis estate.

The 2024 growing season was a tricky one, but a run of sunshine into mid-September pulled the whites back into balance. Made unoaked to keep everything clean and mineral, this is Chablis in its honest, crisp form.

Pale gold with a green tinge, it opens on fresh lemon and grapefruit, with a little fern and coriander leaf if you go looking. The palate is dry and fruity, cut through with that crushed-stone minerality Chablis does better than anywhere, and finished with a lick of salt and a touch of almond and white blossom. It's easy to drink but far from simple.

This is your everyday oyster wine and your safe restaurant order made affordable at home. At around £23 it's proper Chablis without the grand-cru markup.

How to Serve

Serve at 8–10°C in a white wine glass — too cold and you lose the minerality. No decanting; drink it young while the citrus is singing.

Where to Drink It

Bentley's oyster bar, always. Wiltons for grilled sole. The Wolseley for a plateau de fruits de mer and a bit of theatre.

Food Pairings

Oysters and Chablis is one of wine's great double acts — start there. Failing that, grilled white fish with lemon, or a wedge of young goat's cheese.