The 2015 Chablis Montee de Tonnerre 1er Cru has a slightly smudged, brioche-scented bouquet that needs a little more delineation. The palate is balanced and fresh with grapefruit and lime notes, but lacks a bit of tension and mineralité on the finish. Early-drinking Chablis.

The 2014 Chablis Montee de Tonnerre 1er Cru, taken from tank on the lees, has a taut, granitic bouquet that is nicely focused if needing to develop just a little more tension. The palate has a twist of bitter lemon on the entry, quite edgy in the mouth, lively and energetic with a composed finish. This is a fine Chablis from de Montille and may even surpass the 2014 Les Preuses.

The 2010 Chablis Montee de Tonnerre shows off a generous, layered personality. Floral notes weave effortlessly through a core of expressive white stone fruits and pears. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. (Not yet released)Alix de Montille is going for a taut style with the whites she makes at the Domaine and at Deux Montille, the negociant operation she runs with her brother Etienne. The 2009s are quite strong across the board. Unfortuantely I was only able to taste a partial lineup of the 2010s (for both the Domaine and Deux Montille) as several of the wines were still in malo. Based on what I tasted in barrel, 2010 is a much more exciting vintage here, and one that gave de Montille the perfect conditions to make wines in her style. The 2010s show enormous promise. I can hardly wait to taste them in finished form. The wines from Domaine de Montille are reviewed separately.Various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808

The 2010 Chablis Montee de Tonnerre wraps around the palate with serious depth and intensity. Although there is plenty of underlying minerality, there are no hard edges in this large-scaled, highly expressive Chablis. The Montee de Tonnerre reflects more of a house style rather than a strict expression of Chablis or this site. In that sense, it is much closer in personality to the other wines in this lineup than to other wines made from this vineyard. The fruit comes from one of the top estates in Chablis, but I think it is the influence of the other wines aging in the cellar that gives the Deux Montille Montee de Tonnerre much of its personality. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. For my general comments on recent developments on Deux Montille, readers may want to take a look at my introduction in the Domaine de Montille section. Various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808