The 2020 Domaine de Villaine Rully Blanc Premier Cru Rabourcé is a generous, mineral Chardonnay from Burgundy’s Côte Chalonnaise. Rabourcé occupies an amphitheatre-shaped site in northern Rully, distinguished by white clay soils and its position as the warmest of the domaine’s Rully vineyards. The estate’s holding covers approximately 2.36 hectares across three parcels, with 2020 marking its third vintage of this Premier Cru. According to Corney & Barrow’s vintage report, 60% was vinified in large, old oak foudres, with the remainder in barrels and demi-muids. The result combines ripe fruit and supple texture with a clear thread of citrus freshness.
Expect ripe white fruits, apricot and lemon, alongside fresh butter, subtle oak and hints of candied pineapple. The domaine’s tasting note highlights aromatic breadth and a gently bitter, mouthwatering quality derived from the grape skins, bringing tension to the long finish. Corney & Barrow awarded the wine 18/20, describing fleshy stone fruit balanced by lemony acidity and a saline, mineral finish. This is a rounded expression of Rully, with enough freshness to give its richness definition. With several years of bottle age, well-stored examples may now be developing additional nutty and savoury complexity around that original fruit.
