Servin "Mont de Milieu"

One of the unexpected perks of working in this business is that I'm constantly learning. Every bottle is another opportunity to better understand a region, a producer, or a vineyard. Over time, I've started forming my own opinions—not just about what makes a wine good, but about the styles I find myself coming back to.

A few weeks ago, Bryan asked me to put a white Burgundy in the refrigerator for us to open after work. As I looked through the cellar, one bottle immediately caught my eye: Servin Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu 2023.

The choice wasn't random.

When I first started working at Vins Rare, one of the wines that introduced me to Chablis was Mont de Milieu. Up to that point, most of the Chablis I had tasted fit the classic description—lean, citrus-driven, crisp, and intensely mineral. Mont de Milieu showed me something different. It still had the freshness and chalky minerality that define great Chablis, but there was also a softness and generosity to the fruit that made the wine feel remarkably complete.

That experience stuck with me.

Like many of the finest vineyards in Chablis, Mont de Milieu sits on Kimmeridgian limestone, a mix of ancient limestone and fossilized oyster shells formed when this part of France lay beneath a shallow sea over 150 million years ago. This remarkable soil is responsible for the unmistakable minerality that makes Chablis unlike Chardonnay grown anywhere else.

But terroir is more than soil alone.

Mont de Milieu occupies one of the warmest, best-exposed sites on the right bank of the Serein River. Its south- and southwest-facing exposure receives abundant sunlight, allowing the grapes to achieve greater ripeness while preserving the bright acidity that Chablis is known for. The result is a wine that combines vibrant minerality with a broader, rounder texture than many of its neighboring premier crus.

When Bryan and I finally opened the bottle, it reminded me exactly why it had left such an impression years earlier. Bright citrus and white orchard fruit were layered over crushed oyster shell and wet stone, but what stood out most was the texture. It wasn't heavy or rich—it simply had more generosity than I remembered finding in many Chablis. Everything felt beautifully balanced.

One of the things I enjoy most about wine is watching my own palate evolve. Every bottle teaches you something, and occasionally one changes the way you think about an entire region. For me, Mont de Milieu was one of those wines.

Today, I'm pleased to offer Servin Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu 2023. A fantastic wine that has a lot to offer at an outstanding price point. Pick some up today - you will be glad you did!