Dominique and Romain Collet spotlight
2020 Dominique & Romain Collet Butteaux Chablis Premier Cru, France
Romain Collet's old-vine Butteaux, dusty white florals and shy citrus on Kimmeridgian rock, a 2020 Premier Cru you can open at thirty-five dollars.
The 2020 Butteaux is 100 percent Chardonnay from Romain Collet's 1972 left-bank parcel: dusty white and yellow florals, glimpses of shy citrus, and a firm Kimmeridgian line, now $35.
Left-bank Butteaux from a 1972 parcel, not a village Chablis slogan
Romain Collet started bottling his own favorite parcels in 2009 after taking the family cellar when his father Gilles had a stroke. His mother Dominique is on the label with him. Butteaux sits on the Montmains hill on the left bank of the Serein, one of Chablis's greatest Premier Cru sites, higher Kimmeridgian limestone, old vines, heavier topsoil with massive rocks, a wine that can drink like Grand Cru weight in a blind glass. Romain's parcel was planted in 1972 and has not been replanted. Certified organic. The 2020 is focused: dusty white and yellow florals, shy citrus. This is the bottle that puts that Butteaux rock on a seafood table at thirty-five dollars.
The house
Jean Collet bottled the family's first wine in 1954. Gilles and Dominique ran it. Romain joined in 2008 and bottles his own parcels as Dominique & Romain Collet.
The site
Butteaux, left bank, Montmains hill. Kimmeridgian limestone, 1972 vines, organic. Stout, mineral, built to last.
The vintage
2020 in Chablis was ripe and short. Romain's Butteaux stayed floral and citrus rather than heavy.
The drinker
Florals and citrus first. Serve 46 to 50 F. Oysters or a chilled crab platter.
White florals and shy citrus, then stone and salt
The importer sheet on this 2020 finds dusty white and yellow florals with glimpses of shy citrus, focused rather than plump. Butteaux as a climat is known for fruit maturity with a strong gunflint mineral line, robust and generous, built to age. In the glass that reads as cool-climate Chardonnay with oyster shell, green apple, and a firm close, not a buttery slogan.
A warm, early, short crop across the Collet 1er Crus. Butteaux kept florals and citrus instead of collapsing into weight. Drink now and through the later 2020s.
Dusty white and yellow florals, shy citrus, green apple, oyster shell.
Firm, 13% ABV, Kimmeridgian tension, old-vine density.
Saline, mineral. Serve 46 to 50 F. No long decant.
Old vines on the butte, then a Chablis cellar that follows the rock
Romain's 1er Crus are certified organic by Bureau Veritas. He customizes elevage to the site: rockier parcels see more steel, deeper clay sees older barrels. Butteaux is the stout left-bank parcel, 1972 vines, Kimmeridgian close to the surface, southeast slopes, white and blue clays mixed with large stones for drainage. The 2020 is 13 percent alcohol, 100 percent Chardonnay, hand harvested.
Jean, Gilles, Dominique, and now Romain have farmed this hill for decades. Romain is a human compass for these vines.
Serve 46 to 50 F. Oysters, crab, or a simple roast fish.
A Chablis family that finally put Romain's name on the label
The Collets have held an enviable map of Chablis: Les Clos, Valmur, Mont de Milieu, Montee de Tonnerre, Vaillons, Montmains, Butteaux, Forets.
Jean Collet bottled in 1954 after years of selling in bulk. Gilles and Dominique grew the domaine. Romain took over in 2008 and launched his own parcel wines in 2009.
Butteaux is a lieu-dit on the Montmains hill, the high butte with shallower marl and big stones. Neighbors can label it Montmains. Romain bottles it as itself.
The 2020 is that idea in a ripe year: old vines, organic, Premier Cru Chablis without a trophy speech.
Oysters on ice, then a crab platter
Butteaux wants brine and a little sweetness of shellfish. Oysters take the gunflint. Crab takes the floral line.
Two plates. One tray of oysters. One chilled crab cocktail. Both can take Kimmeridgian Chardonnay.
Serve 46 to 50 F. No decant. A white-wine glass, not a tiny flute.
Oysters on the Half Shell
Brine and lemon for Butteaux's gunflint and shy citrus.
Why it works: Salt and iodine echo Kimmeridgian minerality. Citrus in the wine meets the mignonette.
View Recipe for oysters on the half shell (opens in a new tab)
Chilled Crab Cocktail
Sweet crab for floral Chablis and a saline close.
Why it works: Lemon and shallot mirror citrus and stone. The mousse of flavor stays light.
View Recipe for chilled crab cocktail (opens in a new tab)Put this Butteaux in the cart
Romain Collet, 1972 vines, Premier Cru Butteaux. Thirty-five dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is left-bank Chablis from old vines, not a village pour, priced for oysters tonight.
