Domaine Herve Azo Chablis 2008

First off let me just say I love Chablis, across the board my favorite representation of the Chardonnay varietal.  With that stated, I will still attempt to not be too partial towards this bottling.  This estate is a small producer founded in 1982 which is now owned by a much larger very respected Chablis producer, Jean Marc Brocard. 
Chablis is a small commune associated with Burgundy, unattatched at the very northern tip of the region.  Chablis is actually closer to Champagne than the rest of Burgundy.  Because of this there is a lot of the same Chalky soil deposits left over from receding floods from the Jurassic Period.  Ok, enough geek talk, lets taste!

This wine is starbright with a light golden straw color, very faint tinges of green towards the rim.  The color has a medium concentration and is clear although I do believe the wine is unfiltered.  The wine is youthful, with almost no rim variation.
Very classic Chablis aromas, which will be much ligther than the California Chardonnay style.  Most chablis, especially value bottlings like this one, see no oak influence-and if they do it is used oak.  The first thing you will notice is how clean this wine smells, fruit aromas of green apple and fresh lemon.  Also the minerality is very pronounced, you can actually smell the chalk from the soil in this wine as well as hints of dried herbs like parsley and some thyme.
The fruit on the palate wakes up a bit, still green apple but leans towards some yellow as well, and the lemon rounds a bit and moves towards the front.  The wine is medium bodied, notice the lighter body than a California Chardonnay.  Also notice the brightness of the acidity and the lower alcohol level on the palate.  The chalky minerality shines through on the finish, fabolous!
Pair with something as light as oysters on the half-shell for appetizers to a fatty white fish, poached, finished with a light butter thyme sauce.  Cheers!