Kermit Lynch Day One–Eric Chevalier
Continuing in my series of importer focuses, one full week at a time, week two will focus on Kermit Lynch Wine Merchants, who champion small landholders and winegrowers in France and Italy only. Starting today with Eric Chevalier’s Chablissienne Chardonnay from the Loire, this is a great value option from an unusual appellation. All week long, watch for more great wines from the great Kermit Lynch.
If you come to Chardonnay expecting richness and oak, Eric Chevalier is here to gently reset those expectations. Working in the Pays Nantais, where Muscadet is king, he approaches Chardonnay with a completely different mindset. Eric has been shaped as much by the Atlantic as by his early experiences in Chablis. In the 1990s, he spent time there learning his craft, and that imprint never really left. But rather than recreate Chablis back home in the Loire Valley, he translated that philosophy into something distinctly his own. Not Chablis, not Muscadet. Just Eric’s delicious wines.
The real point here is that Chardonnay isn’t the story, but it’s the vehicle. Chevalier uses it to capture the character of the Pays Nantais: its soils, its climate, its proximity to the sea. The result is a wine that feels honest and unforced, one that quietly stands apart not by doing more, but by doing less.
What you get in the glass feels less like a stylistic statement and more like a natural extension of place. There’s the snap of green apple and citrus, a stony backbone, and just a hint of salinity that seems to drift in on ocean air. It’s not trying to be broad or showy. Sourced from vineyards in the western Loire, closer to the Atlantic influence than Burgundy, this wine leans into a brighter, more mineral-driven profile. The 2024 vintage shows crisp orchard fruit layered with subtle citrus and a refreshing saline edge that keeps everything beautiful. There’s no oak here; instead, the texture is clean and energetic, making it incredibly versatile at the table.
This wine embraces its Loire identity with vibrancy, offering a style that feels increasingly relevant for today’s drinkers.
Tom Wolf, Kermit Lynch
It’s no surprise then that on more than one occasion, someone has told me, “I usually don’t like Chardonnay, but I really enjoy this.” It’s incredibly pure, delicious, and a sip feels like an invigorating plunge in the cold, nearby Atlantic.