The Domaine Pierrick-Laroche Chablis Butteaux 2023 is a taut, mineral Chardonnay from the Chablis Premier Cru vineyards of Burgundy, with citrus fruit sitting over a chalky, saline core. Butteaux is a climat within the wider Montmains Premier Cru, and its cooler aspect and later ripening give this wine more tension than the vintage might suggest.

Aromatically the wine leads with lemon peel, white peach and green apple, backed by crushed oyster shell, wet stone and a faint whiff of white flowers. The palate is dry and quietly concentrated, the fruit fleshier than a village Chablis without losing its cut.

Acidity runs straight down the middle and keeps everything in line, while the texture builds towards the middle of the palate with a light creaminess. The finish is long and stony, drying gently and leaving a savoury, almost briny impression rather than anything sweet or broad.

Pour it with Sydney rock oysters, raw kingfish, scallops in butter, or a roast chicken with plenty of lemon. It also handles a soft washed-rind cheese better than most whites of this style.

The 2023 season in Chablis was warm and dry early, saw minor frost that did little damage, and turned humid before a mid-September harvest that delivered both quantity and quality — expressive, fruit-forward wines. Drink the Butteaux 2023 from now to around 2031, with the middle years likely the most rewarding.