DOMAINE LAROCHE

The Laroche family have produced wine in Chablis since 1850. Yikes. How does one not fall asleep at the wheel? They don’t, though. For five generations, the family has been dedicated to producing top quality wines from this famed appellation, where a unique mix of limestone, clay and shell, a relatively northerly climate, and the Chardonnay grape all combine to produce a style of wine like no other. The steely, floral bouquet, delicately crisp, refined flavours and unmistakable underlying flintiness are indelibly characteristic of their terroir.

Here, Chardonnay reigns supreme, and under the guidance of Michel Laroche, the Domaine have expanded from a mere six hectares in the 1960s to the current 130 hectares of prime Chablis vineyard, in the process forging a masterful reputation for Chablisean excellence. Here, once again, it’s all about terroir, with Michel Laroche summing it up succinctly: ‘To produce the best Chablis, you need to produce the best grapes.’