Marcel Servin Chablis, Burgundy Last Saturday we hosted Chablis vigneron Francois Servin on part of his USA tour that he makes every few years! We were oversold on the tickets and most everyone showed up early to get started right at 2:30. We tasted the wines after the event and were floored, these 2022s are the best wines Francois has ever made that we have tasted going back to the 2015s. The 2021 Grand Crus come close, 2019 and 2017 were big winners here, but the 2022s overall have an energy, density, and completeness I have not yet experienced from his wines. We have read (and tasted) how some 2022s from Chablis lack the nervosity of classic years, well that is not the case at this address, then add to it exceptionally long, pretty and nuanced aromas in each wine down to the AOC village.

Last year, under a partly sunny and grey sky this past October (typical Chablis weather), we took a drive on a Saturday from Champagne to visit Francois Servin as we have gotten to know his wines very well. We got the full tour, barrel samples of some 2023s and a lot from bottle of the 21-22s. We also took a walk through Les Clos, the Grand Cru of all Grand Cru vineyards in Chablis.

Francois Servin runs the show here where BOTH the Domaine Servin and Marcel Servin wines are made under the same roof. The domaine wines are the wines that most people know as they are much larger production. The Marcel Servin are his personal vines from his family and he makes his own wines with them. The big difference here is that the Marcel wines have a MUCH longer elevage of a minimum 12 months in tank and neutral oak barrels, whereas the domain wines are just 6 months and see more oak. That makes for a much more layered, age-worthy, denser wine with beautiful layers and textures from the extra elevage and ouillage (topping off barrels as they lose some angels share from evaporation) without losing the nervosity, minerality and energy you expect from Chablis. I love these wines 10 out of 10 times over the domaine wines no matter the wine, especially the AOC village Chablis which from Marcel drinks easily like a 1er cru.

We asked Francois, so why do you make the wines like this with the longer elevage for the Marcel Servin line? He simply said, "That's how I like to drink them, and it's how my grandfather made them, he was my inspiration." Not to mention, he is one of the FEW producers doing it like this. Most have the shorter elevages of 6 months in tank/barrel and off they go! Who else does longer elevage? You may have heard of them....Raveneau, Dauvissat, and Droin to name the most devout.

So, without further ado, we have tasting notes and a fresher experience from the tasting and at the winery! You just don't see Grand Cru Burgundy under $100 anymore at this quality level! Since these are tiny production they still fly well under the radar of the Domaine wines from Servin. Almost nobody knows about them except for a loyal group of customers we have that buy them by the cases every vintage! The reason for that is they are only exported to TWO importers in two different countries. Our source in the US and one in Japan, that's it! There is not enough wine! While Francois is the winemaker, the name, Marcel Servin is in respect for his father, grandfather and great grandfather who were all named Marcel.