La Sereine begins with a blast of woody spice and citrus fruit, underpinned by scents of caramel, pear, apple, and other orchard fruits. It is a generous and well-rounded expression of Chablis, composed of Chardonnay from premium sites all across the esteemed appellation.

La Sereine is a wine that manages to capture many facets in a single bottle. Named for the river that provides nutrients to so many of the vineyards around Chablis, it is refined and vibrant on the palate, with a dense mouthfeel. Look for notes of orchard fruits, lemon, lime, and saline, with hints of exotic stone fruit. Before release, La Sereine spent 12 months ageing in a mixture of stainless steel tanks and oak barrels. 

Ever since its founding in 1923, the co-operative La Chablisienne has been at the vanguard of the modern co-operative movement and has challenged the assumption that big cannot be beautiful. Over the years, La Chablisienne has given birth to a series of wonderful, age-worthy wines that have positioned it at the top of the cooperative wine quality hierarchy; indeed, there are fewer cooperatives anywhere that make better wines than La Chablisienne. The grapes come from 300 winegrowers in the region and are vinified under the talented eye of Vincent Bartement, who yet again has secured La Chablisienne the award of IWSC French Wine Producer of the Year 2018. Another ace up La Chablisienne’s sleeve is the mosaic of climates, or vineyard plots, making it one of the few sources from which wine lovers can truly taste the differences between the various premier cru and Grand Cru sites of Chablis. The wines are made from a single grape variety, Chardonnay, and so differences between the wines express terroir diversity. The unique soils and microclimates of Chablis prove the right place for Chardonnay, where the most mineral examples of such wines are produced, wines of superb finesse unmatched by any other Chardonnay in the world.

Consider pairing it with a fresh vegetable risotto, soft cheese, or a caramel dessert.