There is a bit more wood in evidence compared to the "regular" Les Clos cuvée though not so much that it restrains one's ability to appreciate the otherwise fresh, cool and classic Chablis-suffused nose. There is excellent concentration to the powerful and extract-rich big-bodied flavors that possess an almost chewy texture before terminating in a gorgeously long, dry and well-balanced finish. In much the same fashion as 2012, this is bigger and more robust than the regular Les Clos though it will also require up to a decade to be at its best.

The Clos des Hospices bottling from Domaine Christian Moreau is a bit more overtly new oaky in style than the other two grand crus that I tasted during Les Grands Jours, but it too is very well done in its style. The nose is a touch more new oaky than I would find ideal, but offers up lovely depth and complexity in its mélange of apple, pear, a bit of crème patissière, chalky soil tones and a rather generous coating of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, fullbodied, crisp and complex, with an excellent core of fruit (and quite a bit more mid-palate concentration than the 2011 Valmur), fine focus and grip and a very long, vibrant and gently new oaky finish. Good juice, but I would like this even better if it was done in the same, very understated style of new oak as the 2012 straight Les Clos. 2014-2035. 92+

The entirely barrel-matured Moreau 2011 Chablis Les Clos des Hospices features bittersweet floral perfume over a base of lime and Rainier cherry, laced with salt and chalk. Substantial and – as is typical of this bottling – somewhat opaque in palate impression, it brings notes of lanolin and vanilla along with persistence of liquid floral perfume and mineral impingement to a sustained finish, if one lacking quite the clarity, energy, or refreshment exhibited by certain of the best wines in the present collection. I would look to follow this through 2018. - David Schildknecht