A striking young wine, Dauvissat's brilliant 2020 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest unfurls in the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, orange oil, pear, oyster shell, freshly baked bread and smoke, framed by a deft touch of reduction. Medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, it's taut and concentrated, with racy acids, chalky structuring and a long, searingly mineral finish. Recent years have delivered so many brilliant renditions of La Forest that it's hard to pick a favorite between the likes of 2008, 2014, 2017 and 2019, but the 2020 is certainly a worthy entrant into the competition, and it's worth a special effort to seek out.

The 2019 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest is the deepest and most complete of Dauvissat's premiers crus, delivering a complex bouquet of orange oil, pear and fresh bread complemented by top notes of iodine, dried white flowers and beeswax. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it's layered and concentrated, with superb mid-palate volume, lively acids and a long, electric finish.

The 2018 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest is also showing well, opening in the glass with aromas of crisp green orchard fruit, citrus oil, beeswax, honeycomb and oyster shell. Medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, it's fleshy and enveloping, with a lovely spine of acidity and a long, saline finish. Like the Vaillons, this is quite demonstrative for a young Dauvissat Forest, and it will deliver considerable pleasure straight out of the gates.

A brilliant rendition of Vincent Dauvissat's emblematic premier cru, the 2017 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest reveals a complex bouquet of oyster shell, crisp green apple and lemon oil mingled with notes of dried white flowers and freshly baked bread. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, satiny and complete, with a deep and concentrated core, striking energy and cut and a long, mineral finish. Amounting to some 4.5 hectares, La Forest accounts for a third of the domaine's surface area, so it will be the easiest Dauvissat wine for readers to find. Happily, it ranks alongside the 2014 and 2008 as one of the very best of recent years.

The 2016 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest is superb, wafting from the glass with aromas of Meyer lemon, iodine and wet stones. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and pure, with satiny textural gloss, excellent concentration and a beautifully delineated finish. I suspect this will be a comparatively precocious rendition of the Dauvissat Forest, but it's a beautiful wine.