Henri Costal himself never commercially produced wine. He grew grapes for sale, and likely made plenty of wine for personal consumption, but it wasn’t until his great-grandson took over the family land that winemaking became... Read More

Henri Costal himself never commercially produced wine. He grew grapes for sale, and likely made plenty of wine for personal consumption, but it wasn’t until his great-grandson took over the family land that winemaking became a business. Romain Collet, the aforementioned great-grandson, found himself hosting a barrel tasting for Kermit Lynch; he’d eventually go on to collaborate with Kermit to produce a custom cuvée for the discerning American market. Digging in the cellar one day, he found one of Henri's original labels, which seemed a perfect fit for the wine’s style and background.

When Kermit Lynch — a man who’s been at the top of the import game since the ‘70s — decides to collaborate with a winemaker, we take notice. His dedication to the Old World’s best, most traditional wines is inspiring, and we’re huge fans of his portfolio.

But really, we just know he’s drunk a lot of terrific wines, and for him to find this one so impressive is an indication of its quality, not to mention singularity. The farming is certified organic (a rarity in cold, wet Chablis), the fermentation is with native yeasts, and there’s no fining or filtration (practices which can strip a wine of nerve and tension, making it feel, for lack of a better term, less alive). The vines are grown on Portlandian limestone soils, which actually contain more limestone, and less clay, than their Kimmeridgian counterparts.