Whenever I have the chance to taste chablis — and I mean the real thing, from France — I go for it. It's the one wine that demonstrates why chardonnay doesn't need an in-your-face overlay of oak flavor to be delicious. Yes, I know fermenting and/or aging the world's best-known white grape in barrels can add nuance, but I find most New World winemakers can't resist overdoing it, like chefs who over-salt their dishes. The result? Aggressive chardonnays that trade elegance for obviousness.

This Chablis allows the pure character of cool-climate chardonnay to shine through: it's pale yellow-green in color, with hints of citrus peel and vague spice, and a round-textured green-apple, deep mineral-edged flavor framed by a lively, tart and lingering acidity.

The northernmost wine district in Burgundy, Chablis is noted for its clay and limestone soil containing tiny fossilized oysters. This bottling, from well-known negociant Joseph Drouhin, is a blend of Premier Cru vineyard parcels, all farmed biodynamically. The grapes from different parcels are kept separate and pressed in Chablis, then shipped to Drouhin's cellars in Beaune where it's put into used barrels for the alcoholic fermentation (new barrels would impart unwanted woody notes). After seven to nine months of aging, the final blend is assembled.

Thanks to ideal harvest conditions, the 2008 vintage is exceptional in Chablis, one of the best in years.

Although better known as a producer and negociant of Burgundies from the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, Drouhin began purchasing abandoned vineyards in Chablis in 1964 and is now a major property owner there. "Vaudon" on the label comes from the Moulin de Vaudon, an 18th-century watermill which serves as the headquarters of the Drouhin domaine in Chablis.

The firm produces 10 different chablis, including several Grand Cru vineyard bottlings with more intensely focused flavors, but the beauty of this blend is that it offers authentic chablis character for a very reasonable price.

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