Aromas of pear, honeycomb and dried white flowers introduce Piuze's 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Les Minots, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming wine that's seamless and enveloping, offering considerable early appeal. Quebecois Patrick Piuze, who established his eponymous maison in Chablis after stints working with Jean-Marie Guffens and Brocard, has produced a fine set of 2022s. These are some of the richer, more textural wines that I've tasted at this address, despite Piuze being a comparatively early harvester. Readers will remember the rudiments of Piuze's approach: hand-harvested grapes are pressed firmly in old Vaslin presses, their juice fermented in used barrels and stainless steel, with sur lie élevage of comparatively short duration, because Piuze wishes to capture the maximum of freshness and energy by early bottling. The resulting wines are elegantly textural but incisive, clearly differentiated by site. This is also the best address to explore the village-level Chablis AOC, as Piuze produces a number of cuvées and lieu-dit bottlings designed to highlight the diversity that this large appellation encompasses. (WK)

The 2022 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru Les Minots has a lovely bouquet with orange blossom, Golden Delicious and light saffron aromas. The palate is well-balanced with a slightly honeyed opening, a little more exotic in style, yet it retains the essence of Chablis. There’s a very slight reduction that plays to its advantage on the finish. Highly recommended. (NM)

Minots is another spelling for the climat Mélinots which was originally known as Les Minos; it is generally considered to be the warmest of all of the climats within Vaillons yet curiously the wines always seem to retain good acidity A discreet though not imperceptible application of wood sets off pretty floral and white pepper wisps that add breadth to the aromas of citrus confit, pear and ocean spray. The caressing and concentrated but markedly punchy medium-bodied flavors also flash good power on the stony finale, indeed this is like rolling a pebble around in the mouth. While this could use better depth, the potential seems to be present and this is also recommended provided you intend to cellar it.