90/100 Cellar Tracker
89/100 Wine Spectator
Chablis Domaine Laroche Saint Martin is a premier cru in all but name. This is a well-crafted and very delicious wine—gorgeous, silky, fresh Chablis in typical Laroche style, which will beautifully enhance all your shellfish and creamy fish and poultry dishes, and be a sensational apéritif to drink alone.
Saint Martin is a blend of the very best plots of the Domaine Laroche 60 hectares of Chablis appellation vineyards. Chardonnay vines are planted on ancient limestone soil beds rich in fossilized seashells and coral. The nose opens with notes of chalk, white flowers and fresh apple.
Laroche winemaker Grégory Viennois is a vigneron of flair and precision. He refers to Chardonnay’s ‘two-day window’ of maturity—if they don’t pick the grapes in this time, the precious Chablis aromas might leave the skin of the grapes. Viennois is excited by the remarkable potential of ‘Saint Martin’, its flagship cuvee, dedicated to Saint Martin, an officer in the Roman army who converted to Christianity. When he died in 397 his relics were kept in Tours, where an abbey was founded and dedicated to him.
The niche where the relics were kept is still exposed, in the remains of a tower, in the middle of ageing wines. The resulting wine is arguably as good as many Left Bank Premiers Crus. ‘Saint Martin’ is a special wine of impeccable quality from very old vines, with the emphasis on purity and minerality.
The critics are impressed with Saint Martin, noting remarkable finesse and elegance leaving plenty of room for rich, expressive aromatic and complex flavours of lemon, grapefruit and pear. It has great length and structure. Notes Wine Spectator’s Bruce Sanderson, awarding 89/100 points, ‘Starts out rich, offering peach, green plum and lemon flavours. Reveals mineral hints as the finish turns sharper and evokes lemon. Drink now through 2028.’
The wine is early in its drinking window and will continue to age beautifully until 2028—so now is a good time to snap it up, particularly at the Club shippers’ price. Enjoy alone as an aperitif or with seafood—it is perfect as an aperitif or to pair with seafood, prawns or fish.
100% Chardonnay. Case of six bottles including delivery (UK mainland). RRP £238. CCUK £149. Free UK mainland delivery.
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