"Chablis doesn't really have what you'd call 'cult' names in the sense that the Côte d'Or does, but Cyril Testut's wines are undeniably of that caliber." - Andrew Kitz, B-21 Burgundy Buyer
Domaine Testut is certainly an under-the-radar name in Chablis, but those in the know go to great lengths to get their hands on the wines. With excellent old-vine holdings, these are always classic expressions of their crus, in which seasoned Chablis fans can find all the distinctive terroir character they're looking for, plus world-class levels of precision and purity. They are always classically styled, but the generous 2023 vintage lends them a degree of approachability in their youth, even as they still have some years to reach their full potential.
The Chablis Vieilles Vignes, a blend of four sites on the left bank of the Sereine averaging 60 years in age, offers the most upfront, forward expression, with a deep fruit core supported by fine, subtle structure. The 1er Cru Vaillons displays mulit-dimensional pedigree from its 75-year-old vines, with John Gilman noting it as "another fine example of the vintage" and Burghound succinctly declaring it "lovely and very Vaillons." Finally, the 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is the most tightly focused and wound-up expression in the line-up, "beautiful and classic in 2023." It certainly shows the most vivid soil signature of the range, and the concentration of the fruit profile suggests this will develop into a reference-point Montée in the due course of time.
Being a small region, you'd think that new discoveries in Chablis are few and far between, and to some extent, that's correct, but for those who haven't yet experienced them, the wines of Cyril Testut will definitely be a revelation.
Domaine Testut’s vines for their Montée de Tonnerre bottling lie just above Cyril’s parcel for his Côte de Bréchain cuvée, in the section of the vineyard that can be bottled as premier cru. The wine is beautiful and classic in 2023, offering up a complex and vibrant nose of lemon, pink grapefruit, a hint of pineapple, a lovely foundation of chalky soil tones, citrus peel, a touch of lemongrass and a topnote of spring flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, ripe and full-bodied, with a fine core of fruit, racy acids, lovely focus and grip and a long, seamlessly balanced finish that closes with that aforementioned note of pineapple. A lovely wine that really deserves at least a few years in the cellar before drinking, just to let it blossom properly.
93 points, John Gilman, View From The Cellar (Feb 2026)
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