Expensive wine 153: J. Moreau & Fils Chablis 2019

The J. Moreau Chablis is yet another example why scores do more harm than good

The Wine Curmudgeon tries desperately not to let his disgust with scores bubble up too often. But the wine business makes that almost impossible.

The most recent example is the J. Moreau & Fils Chablis 2019 ($25, purchased, 13%), a delightful chardonnay from the Chablis region in Burgundy in France. So what score did it get on CellarTracker, the blog’s unofficial wine inventory app?

An 88.

Sigh. Is it any wonder I worry about the future of the wine business?

That’s because 88 points is about what a $12 buttery supermarket chardonnay gets — the kind that’s designed by focus groups and made to ensure that the wine has all the subtlety of a hot buttered popcorn-flavored Pop Tart.

Is this the world’s most stunning Chablis? Nope, but it’s still a fine Chablis at a more than fair price (and especially given the cost of white Burgundy these days). It’s varietally correct, with lemony apple fruit, the minerality that all Chablis should have, and a pleasing roundness in the mouth that is not richness (or buttery popcorn).

So yes, I’d buy this again – just the thing for my traditional Saturday night roast chicken, green noodles, and green salad.

Imported by Boisset America