Pinson’s 2007 Chablis Fourchaume – from acreage he only recently acquired rights to farm – is relatively soft in feel and only modestly complex, characteristics one often encounters from this site. Yet there is ample refreshing acidity and an invigorating salinity here, although lanolin and vanilla notes from barrel are rather detached. The finish is satisfying in length if simple, with a hint of wet stone by way of mineral suggestion. I would plan on enjoying it within the next couple of years. Laurent Pinson operates out of a sophisticated cuverie built in 2003, and departs from the style of an earlier generation here by employing considerable amounts of young wood on his crus – ostensibly to protect fruit and guard against volatility to which wine in older barrels is prey. But sometimes – at least, with his rather tensile 2007s – I found the resultant taste of wood less than synergistic.Imported by Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608-9644 and also a Charles Neal Selection, Richmond, CA; tel (415) 225-5144 (with various importers)