November 8, 2019 - Nice crisp chard with lemon and white fruits
December 25, 2018 - Single piece cork, no seepage.
Drinking very well. Youthful, cristalline palate. Nice and light textured.
Drink or hold to 2021
October 12, 2013 - For the last year or so, I've found the 2008 Malandes Fourchaume to be softening and I've speeded up drinking through my holdings, while the Montmains seemed to still show its structure. It seems that now the Montmains, like the Fourchaume, is also softening and losing its edge and cut. Softer palate, apple flesh and pear notes. Nice wine, but if you like your Chablis young, acidic and with edge, then those days appear to be in the past.
June 25, 2013 - I've opened two bottles of the 2008 Malandes 1er Fourchaume lately, and found both to be rather soft and more drink-me-now than I expected. The Montmains, in contrast, is much crisper and is showing more acidity and verve. Interesting spearmint note on the entry, then all lovely clear fruit and white floral notes, no oak, and then as the wine aired, more of a zesty, minerally, steely palate with sharper notes of fennel. Really quite lively and brisk and so much more interesting than the softer Fourchaume.
April 16, 2013 - Very good clarity and transparency here, with a palate that shows white and clear fruit, no oak, and rounder sides than last year. Rather light bodied. I like the purity here, but I would prefer more impact and nuance. The lightness and the transparency never really segue into something more substantial or more interesting. By the second night, I am detecting just a bit of alcohol sticking out. No oxidation, but is this unraveling already? The 2008 Malandes Chablis Fourchaume I opened last week was more impressive and coherent.
April 17, 2012 - Very nice, crisp and acidic with lemon, minerality and an excellent match with oysters
April 1, 2012 - This wine opens to a very cool and steely nose with no noticeable oak and notes of lemon orchard and light jasmin. The palate is likewise cool and very clean, with light lemon, white fruit and distinct fennel notes (and I notice that my note on the 2008 Malandes 1er Fourchaume also includes fennel notes, so additional research is necessary to determine whether this descriptor cuts across the house wines). There is a fullness to the palate, with good texture and a long, zingy finish. With additional air, there is a noticeable fleshy texture, good extract, seems full yet contained, with peach notes upfront and a pulpy body. The nose now shows some spice. No degradation overnight, still very clear and cool-toned, the body is still full, showing clear fruit, citrus pith and chamomile notes, the texture a bit more unraveled since last bottle one year ago, slightly more evolved. Terrific, enjoyable Chablis that seems in its prime, more ready than the '08 Malandes Fourchaume last month.
January 29, 2012 - Crisp and pure fruit with good acidity and minerality. Excellent
June 3, 2011 - Light nose, yet subtle. Very refreshing. Too cool at first, it really opened up after a couple of minutes of passive warming in the glass.
May 27, 2011 - Wow. Lively yet elegant. Minerals, ocean, acidity, flowers. You really can buy killer chablis for $25!