Domaine Pierrick-Laroche Chablis AC / 2023 / 375mL

Description:

The Domaine Pierrick-Laroche Chablis AC 2023 is a dry, mid-weight Chardonnay from Chablis in Burgundy, leaning on citrus and wet-stone freshness rather than richness. At 375mL it is a half bottle built for one or two glasses, when a full bottle is more than the evening calls for.

Aromas run to lemon pith, green apple and a faint whiff of crushed shell, with a little white blossom as the wine warms in the glass. The palate is clean and quietly generous — grapefruit, nashi pear and a saline undertow — reflecting a 2023 season in Chablis that brought a big, ripe crop and a warm, sunny run into a September harvest, so there is more flesh here than the region's leaner years deliver.

Acidity is the frame: bright, linear, and long enough to carry the fruit well past the mid-palate. Texture is smooth without being broad, and the finish is dry and faintly chalky, the sort of tail that makes you reach for the glass again.

Oysters are the obvious call, and this Chablis handles them, but it is just as good with grilled flathead, a plate of prawns with lemon, chicken poached with tarragon, or a wedge of goat's cheese. A half bottle suits a solo dinner, a lunch for two, or a first pour before something heavier.

Drink now through to about 2027. Bear in mind a 375mL bottle ages faster than a 750mL, so this format is best enjoyed on the younger, fresher side.