Hit & Miss: William Fèvre Chablis Champs Royaux SEA with Veggie Miso & Pork Bun

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William Fèvre 2017 Chablis Champs Royaux Limited Edition SEA $25

Taste: Savory, saline and yeasty, this wine absolutely earns its moniker “SEA”, reflecting the scents and tastes of the sea. As the moniker goes, “If it comes from the sea, it goes with Chablis.” (C’mon. Admit it. It’s catchy.) On the palate, it’s for hedonists with its voluptuously textured swoons and swales that create its versatility.

It’s a subtle yet hedonistic wine that doesn’t play games with its lingering finish. This is downright classy. And, for “just AOC” Chablis, it’s priced as such. Usually the Champs Royaux bottling from Fèvre goes for about $7-8 less than this bottling’s suggested retail price. However, this edition is entirely worth the extra bucks.

If you can exert some discipline in drinking just a half bottle and keeping the rest overnight, it will reward you the following day with a broader palate, creamier texture and less accentuated acidity. I loved the wine on both day one and day two. While I prefer its becoming grip on day one, I think many will appreciate its friendlier day two style.

Regardless, this sea salt and chicken broth flavor-drenched wine will not let you down between its masses of flavor, determined food friendliness and vigorous palate refreshment.

Expectation: Instead of keeping it easy with obvious choices, I looked into more challenging pairings for this super-savory Chablis. Minerally white wines continue to be overlooked as good pairing partners for leaner meats, and I hope to re-orient people to foods other than seafood with Chablis. That’s easier to do with older Chablis, but few imbibers have access to those wines.

Hit: Veggie Miso
This is brilliant with Veggie Miso between its soy noodles, scallions and bamboo shoots. Every one of these elements brilliantly harmonizes with this wine’s essential flavor elements. The wine is also just acidic enough to cleanse the palate to make sure you dig your spoon back into the good stuff!

Kinda Hit: Pork Bun
This wine lined up nicely structure-wise with the firmness of the well-cooked pork. It also sliced through the mayo and egg components. Moreover, its herbal essences gelled with the pickles and (very Western touch of) romaine lettuce. It wasn’t an epiphany, but I’d be okay with the two side-by-side again.