One of the Great Under $60 Values in Burgundy - Sebastien Dampt's Dense, Mineral and Complex Grand Cru Bougros

2018 Maison Dampt Chablis Grand Cru "Bougros"
 - One of the Most Epic Bougros I Have Ever Tasted
 - Nose: Wafting Seashells, Oyster Shells
 - Like Pulverized Rocks Made from Petrified Green Apples
 - Palate: Brilliant Freshness and Complexity
 - Stunning Density as It Opens
 - Damptian Balance Between Glorious Fruit / Saline Freshness
 - Classic Chablis with Grand Cru Density and Dampt Drinkability
 - Finish Is God's Lemons (Perfect Fruit and Acid Balance)
 - Drinking Well Now - The Structure to Age
 - Terrific 2018 Vintage
 - 90-92 BH

2018 Sebastien Dampt Chablis AC
- Dictionary Perfect AC Chablis
- Nose: Minerals, Flowers, Nice Lime Zest, Appley Fruit
- The Perfect Mineral Notes One Expects from AC Chablis
- Wonderful Intensity and Texture
- Salty and just so, So Drinkable

His Only Grand Cru in 2018 So If You Like Dampt, This Is Your Only Chance
Sadly again the source that Sebastien Dampt gets for Les Clos and Valmur in 2018 was not able to supply him with fruit. So that means we only have one Dampt Grand Cru in 2018. But what a smokeshow it is and what a devastating value it is.

2018 Quick Vintage Note
While there was a little frost this is a terrific vintage and has tremendous Chablis nerve and character

while also showing terrific fruit and depth. While the wines show great energy and sap the real star of the show is the incredible depth. Take 2012s character and compactness and 2015s deep fruit and that is 2018 in a nutshell. A great vintage. Some old timers in the region compare it to 1982 and think we will have a good surprise with the best wines in time.

Today I am thrilled to offer the 2018 Maison Dampt Chablis Grand Cru "Bougros" for as little as $59.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This is a great deal for Grand Cru white Burgundy. Bougros, for me and everyone else in Chablis is the early drinking Grand Cru. It is always so generous in its youth and combine that with the tense yet accessible 18s you have a Grand Cru Chablis that is ready to be drunk now. There is never any austerity on these and they always have glorious finesse.

It is one of the most epic Bougros I have ever tasted. Just a beautiful bottle of Chablis. Reminiscent of the brilliant 2012, the 2018 is an amazing accomplishment.  And because Sebastien is not particularly greedy and because he is still young and has not reached the "status" of the top 4-5 growers, his wines are crazy values, especially his Grand Crus.

The nose is gorgeous. It's big and wafting with beautiful seashells and oyster shells along with green apple. It's almost like if a green apple grove in full fruit turned into rocks over 1,000 years and those rocks were pulverized - that's what it smells like.  Just stunning.

The palate has brilliant freshness and complexity and is giving so much now. When you first taste it, you get the more obvious Damptian delicious profile.  Waves and waves of juicy  green apple fruit, silly amounts of minerals and wet stones along with the perfect amount of balancing intense Chablisean acidity.  As this wine opens, you get the density of Grand Cru terroir.  The fruit integrates a bit with some coiled richness and more of a dark stone minerality.  It still has that green apple but the complexity starts to come out and you get that Grand Cru experience.  Saline and compact like the 12 and a skoche more ripe yet very generous but not at the sacrifice of terrific thundering acidity. The fruit is pure and vivid as is the salinity on the very long Grand Cru finish. Very sappy and structured.

The finish really shines here. It's like rocks that were rehydrated with God's lemons.  What are God's lemons?  Well you know w=how regular lemons are a but too acidic and meyer lemons are a bit too sweet?  God's lemons are a hybrid of the two with that perfect lemon flavor that has laser-like acidic balance so you get the perfect balanced lemon flavor lingering on the palate after you swallow. 

The wine is classic Sebastien Dampt - he has a way of maximizing fruit but keeping it in balance with great acidity and minerality.  I don't think that there is a better under $60 Grand Cru value in France.  Epic wine and highway robbery at this price point. This will be limited. I was super impressed. It can and should age for 3-5 years before it reaches peak but there is no  structural (closed) reason it should not be drunk now. It is utterly compelling and delicious.

Bougros is located on the NW section of the big hill where all the Grand Crus are located. The excellent 1er Cru Fourchaume is to the North and Preuses Grand Cru is above Bougros on the hill. The soil is more clay dominated as it is near the water and actually gives Bougros a lovely earthiness. It is also very steep, maybe the steepest of the Grand Crus and also is southwest facing so gets excellent sunshine.  Sebastien makes this wine under the Maison Dampt label with his brother.

"Subtle but not invisible wood frames notes of smoky matchstick, white orchard fruit and just enough Chablis typicity to be persuasive. There is good if not exceptional volume to the rich and muscular larger-scaled flavors that possess reasonably good depth on the persistent finish. This is perfectly good but not really distinguished for its level and a wine that should permit early accessibility." 90-92 BH

Up next is the classic of all classics. The 2018 Sebastien Dampt Chablis AC for $22.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This is just a brilliant wine for the genre. In top vintages this is a wine to buy by the case. It's so classic. Nose of minerals and flowers with nice lime zest and some appley fruit. But it's main aromatic component is that unique Chablis minerality that we all love. It has wonderful intensity and texture to it with lovely purity and Kimmeridgian freshness. Salty and just so so drinkable. Pound a case while you wait for the other 1er Cru's to mature. Below is a a nice BH Review.


"A ripe and fresh nose is composed by notes of soft citrus, pear and sea breeze. There is reasonably good energy to the delicious medium weight flavors that culminate in a longer and more complex moderately dry finish." BH

2018 Maison Dampt Chablis Grand Cru "Bougros" - $61.99 

($239.96 4-pack) (LIMITED) (Included Tariff $7.37)*

2018 Sebastien Dampt Chablis AC - $24.99 ($91.96 4-pack) 

(LIMITED) (Included Tariff $2.05*)