From: Chablis, Burgundy, France
Varietal: Chardonnay
Tasting Notes: This delicious 2021 Henri Costal Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons made by Romain Collet is full of intense minerality and complex leesy notes that marry wonderfully well with a more than touch of brininess. White flowers, lemongrass, stone fruit, and citrus lead the charge into this refreshingly frank 1er Cru Chablis that captures the vintage, site, and typicity beautifully. Easy to love, this will be a bottle you’ll reach for repeatedly.
"Henri Costal, a vigneron from Chablis, gifted the Collets—another family of vignerons in Chablis—their first-ever parcel of Vaillons when Henri’s daughter married a Collet son in 1952. Several decades later, Henri’s great-grandson from that same union, Romain Collet, resurrected Henri’s long-defunct label, as seen on this bottle, in homage. It’s a timeless label for an old soul of a wine. This creamy, smooth, utterly drinkable, delicious Chablis is for all generations to enjoy." —Chris Santini
Pairing: Seafood like scallops (served as crudo, ceviche, or seared), sautéed or grilled shrimp, white fish like cod or halibut, oysters, and sushi would make for excellent no- brainer wine pairings. Other fantastic options include serving this with fresh goat milk cheese, light poultry dishes (chicken or pork) served with a creamy sauce (check out the recipe below!), vegetable crudités or grilled veggies, and escargots.
Sautéed Chicken Breasts With Fresh Corn, Shallots and Cream
By Pierre Franey
About. Many thanks to importer KLWM for the following information!
Domaine Costal / Henri Costal is a unique collaboration between the well-known Chablis producer Domaine Jean Collet and Kermit Lynch. The project began with a simple barrel tasting with Kermit and led to a custom label, custom vinification, and bottling process exclusively for the American market. The end result of this first tasting was a terroir-driven Chablis from a single vineyard site called Truffières, loosely translated as “site where truffles grow.”
In 2018, owner Romain Collet was digging through his family’s archives and found the original label that his great-grandfather, Henri Costal designed and used when he founded the domaine. Romain proposed that they revive this historical label and use the Henri Costal name. In keeping with their desire to preserve historical European wine styles as well as labels, this was a natural fit. Beginning with the 2017 vintage, all wines from the collaboration with the Collet’s will be labeled as Henri Costal.
Domaine Costal / Henri Costal continues to produce the “Les Truffières” bottling, and recently, they have added bottlings from the premier crus Vaillons and Mont de Milieu. The vines are worked organically, and Kermit and the Collet family together agree on a blend of stainless steel, foudre, and barrel vinification. Their bottlings are not filtered or cold-stabilized—a true rarity in Chablis. The skill of the Collets and their
excellent terroirs combine to give all of us wines of extraordinary purity and finesse. There is no mistaking it—one taste and you are in Chablis territory: zesty minerality, wet stone, freshness and nervosity.
