Guffens' Chablis offerings continue to enthrall me. The Chablis Vaillons is an outstanding wine at an affordable price. Revealing liquid stones, smoke and traces of oak on the nose, this is an expressive, rich, broad, bright, concentrated, and extremely ripe wine packed with flint, flowers, dried herbs, and spicy oak. Its impressively long and pure finish is nuanced by metallic lemon flavors. It should be at its best between 2002 and 2008. A year ago, Jean-Marie Guffens told me that 1996 was the greatest vintage of his lifetime. While he did not repeat that comment when I visited him in November, Guffens was bursting with pride as I tasted the wines.
A Peter Vezan Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42654293), importers include: North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 848-8910, and a Patrick Lesec Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-44706293), various American importers, including Bacchus Importers (800) 525-9699.