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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.8 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 35 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Winiac on 3/2/2020 & rated 89 points: Balanced, with tertiary flavors, and acid minus. Past peak. (1088 views) | | | Tasted by BostonRob64 on 12/31/2019 & rated 90 points: Bright, lots of acidity, with slight butterscotch notes. Delicious with stuffed clams and broiled lobster at the start of a New Year’s feast on Cape Cod. (960 views) | | | Tasted by sunalsorises on 7/7/2019 & rated 92 points: Drinking nicely. Good acidity on the finish balanced with well integrated fruit with a hint of wood. Excellent. (1130 views) | | | Tasted by mat600 on 4/14/2017 & rated 90 points: Avec le premier crabe des neiges de la saison. Un beau nez salin avec une bouche qui possède beaucoup de fruits jaunes. La longueur est bonne et le vin est opulent. Très rond pour un chablis. Effet millésime peut-être ? 90 sur 100. (2231 views) | | | Tasted by pavel_p on 2/26/2017 & rated 91 points: Might have been a bit too harsh last time. While this is not at the level of the 2010, it is still a very nice and typical Chablis. Just a touch rounder and softer than usual but still with good minerality and accuracy. Much better than the 2013 Testut Montee de Tonnerre the day before (2727 views) | | | Tasted by pavel_p on 12/25/2016 & rated 90 points: William Fevre Montee de Tonnerre 2009/2010: Pale yellow. To my surprise there is plenty of citrus and acidity despite the warm vintage. On the palate this is however round and full, drinking very smoothly but lacking typicity in my eyes. I doubt I would recognize this as a Chablis blind as it does not have the minerality and the "tension" on the palate. A good white nevertheless. 89-90 (2411 views) | | | Tasted by YoRi on 4/5/2016 & rated 90 points: Dégusté en parallèle avec même aoc et millésime de Servin.
La note tient compte du prix.
Apparence jaune impérial, limpide, peu de larmes en paroi de verre. Le nez est discret mais évoluera dans le temps. Pomme à chaire jaune, poire, poussière de pierre, notes d'élevage (ou de malo ?) discrètes de crème caramel puis de caramel écossais.
En bouche, saveurs en continuité des arômes avec des notes d'amande, acidité moyenne (légèrement plus marquée que dans le Servin), persistance moyenne à longue sur les notes de pomme-poire en pâtisserie (croûte de tarte !) et de caramel.
Un prix plus modeste de 10$ serait cependant apprécié. (2408 views) | | | Tasted by isbjoern on 2/20/2016 & rated 91 points: Excellent mineral- driven Chablis. Light in alcohol but very expressive in terms of flavors. Apples and nuts and fine oak integration. Really lovely and classy. - 91 points (2380 views) | | | Tasted by cardsandwine on 8/1/2015: Classic, crisp, clean minerally Chablis from Fevre. Drinking very well. (2091 views) | | | Tasted by d'Artagnan on 6/6/2015 & rated 92 points: Un nez subtil avec ses notes de fleurs blanches, d’orange, un peu d’iode.
La bouche montre une très belle concentration, avec une acidité plus basse qu’à l’habitude, due au millésime. Néanmoins, il reste très typé et fidèle à ses origines avec des notes minérales, crayeuses, très classiques. Une belle complexité se développe rapidement, c’est salin et très long en bouche. On dirait presque un Grand Cru. Il me semble prêt à boire, quoique sans doute jeune et promis à plusieurs années d’épanouissement. Superbe! 92 pts (2131 views) | | | Tasted by Drinking Trees on 12/1/2014: Soft, mild nose, with old oak, vanilla, and a hint of butter. Palate has a soft, wobbly texture and a mild, pleasant flavour of butter, with notes of honeydew melon and pear sorbet. Finishes with strong, clean acidity. (2481 views) | | | Tasted by isbjoern on 9/8/2014 & rated 91 points: A beautiful Montée de Tonnerre. I was expecting a much heavier and oakier wine from reading some recent reviews but to me this clearly has the elegance and minerality and fresh acidity I search for in Chablis. And there is a wonderful saline note here that goes so well with a variety of seafood. Enjoyed this quite a bit. - 91 points (2224 views) | | | Tasted by YoRi on 7/14/2014 & rated 89 points: La note tient compte du prix
Nez moyennement ouvert ou dominent les arômes tertiaires de vanille (élevage sous fût) et de lait malté dénotant une fermentation malolactique avancée. Ananas et nuances minérales(poussière de gravier).
En bouche le vin est généreux sur le fruit mûre et le lait vanillée.
L'acidité est discrète, un peu trop à mon gout.
Bon mais je m'attendais à un vin plus nerveux et cambré. Nettement dans la vague Nouveau Monde. Est-ce le millésime ??... (2373 views) | | | Tasted by AudunG on 12/15/2013 & rated 89 points: Started with an overdose of sulfitt. Then mature fruit, lime and chalk minerals. Very intense and concentrated. A great premier cru. Needs time. (2544 views) | | | Tasted by JulianSkeels on 4/25/2013 & rated 92 points: Lime, green apple, chalk, minerals and a long finish. This will be wonderful in 5yrs, but has a rich mid-palatte making it very drinkable now. Good structure. Fantastic value and a highly recommended budget chablis. (3559 views) | | | Tasted by d'Artagnan on 2/16/2013 & rated 91 points: Souper avec amis du bureau (départ M-M): Un Montée de Tonnerre un rien moins tendu, en raison du millésime, mais sans mollesse pour autant. Très beau cru, subtil et raffiné, chic. 91 pts (3743 views) | | | Tasted by rsbeck on 12/16/2012 & rated 91 points: Pop and pour, steadily improved in the glass. Enjoyable now, but you get the sense there is more nuance to come with more time in the cellar. 91+ (3018 views) | | | Tasted by d'Artagnan on 10/28/2012 & rated 91 points: L'effet millésime se fait sentir avec un vin plus rond et gras, moins minéral et précis que le 08, bien mais un peu lâche. Bien, mais vu les attentes, il me laisse désenchanté ...jusqu'au lendemain soir et alors, révélation! Il a développé une définition admirable, avec une longue finale saline et complexe. Une métamorphose! 89 pts le premier soir et 91+pts le lendemain.
Ma courte expérience avec le premier cru Montée de Tonnerre confirme ces écrits qui le situent presque au niveau de grand crû. (3102 views) | | | Tasted by wineforrest on 8/11/2012 & rated 93 points: wonderful drinking Chablis, i know its supposed to be good for several more years - but I cant wait. I have several additional bottles that I will drink soon (2736 views) | | | Tasted by wineforrest on 7/28/2012 & rated 92 points: wonderful chablis, subtle, crisp, very drinkable (2125 views) | | | Tasted by KVM on 4/1/2012 & rated 88 points: Light yellow. Floral, nice light fruit, hint of free sulphur despite 1 hour in decanter. Ripe, generous fruit, soft, medium length. Good but not terribly exciting, yet (2061 views) | | | Tasted by Jeremy Holmes on 3/24/2012: Quite heavily reduced and it takes a lot of working of oxygen into the wine before it kicks into gear. It is dense, chewy and sappy. There's plenty of geological matter coupled with ripe orchard fruits and good preservation of lemony acidity. (2069 views) | | | Tasted by AtoZ on 2/5/2012 & rated 93 points: Richer and more fruity than older chablis Ii am more used to. All the elements were there. Not over ripe. (2248 views) | | | Tasted by peternelson on 8/27/2011 & rated 90 points: Dried herbs, delicate, touch of green apple; crisp, light and elegant but good concentration and more power and longer finish than Vaillons. Tasted at the Domaine. 90-91 (1329 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 8/6/2011 & rated 92 points: 2009 Domaine Fevre Chablis (and a couple '08s) (Vin Vino Wine, Palo Alto, California): Light yellow color; lovely, bright, yellow apple, lemon cream, pear, light vanilla nose; tasty, poised, tart pear, citrus, mineral palate; needs 4 years; medium-plus finish (glad to see some of that Montée minerality in an otherwise very ripe vintage) (2415 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Allen Meadows
Burghound, October 2011, Issue #44
(Domaine William Fèvre Chablis "Montée de Tonnerre" 1er 1er Cru White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (1/12/2011)
(Dom William Fèvre, Montée de Tonnerre Premier Cru Chablis White) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Nov/Dec 2010, Issue #30, The Fine 2009 Burgundy Vintage- Rather Heterogeneous
(Chablis “Montée de Tonnerre”- Domaine William Fèvre) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Allen Meadows
Burghound, October 2010, Issue #40
(Domaine William Fèvre Chablis "Montée de Tonnerre" 1er 1er Cru White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, July/August 2010, IWC Issue #151
(Domaine William Fevre Chablis Montee de Tonnerre) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (8/6/2011)
(Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre) Light yellow color; lovely, bright, yellow apple, lemon cream, pear, light vanilla nose; tasty, poised, tart pear, citrus, mineral palate; needs 4 years; medium-plus finish (glad to see some of that Montée minerality in an otherwise very ripe vintage) 92 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Burghound and JancisRobinson.com and View From the Cellar and Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Domaine William Fèvre Producer website
Kevin Shaffer, a.k.a. Burgschnauzer
William Fevre, the son of an accomplished winemaker, founded Domaine de la Maladiere and bottled his first wines after the 1959 harvest. Over a forty year span, Domaine de la Maladiere slowly grew into the largest owner of grand cru vineyards in the region and it enjoyed an excellent reputation. William was also a dominant personality. When the local political establishment wanted to increase the region’s vineyard area to include sites that that did not possess the important Kimmeridgian soil, William stood out as one of the fiercest and loudest opponents to the expansion. The wines from these new areas, he argued, would not have the classic aromas and flavors that were characteristic of Chablis. Fevre lost the battle, but by voicing his opinion he had become one of the leading figures in the region. In 1998, Fevre sold his estate to the Henriot family of Champagne, who in an odd twist, changed the name to Domaine William Fevre. Henriot had also recently purchased the Beaune negociant Bouchard Pere et Fils and had been responsible for a renaissance at that estate. Several changes were immediately made at Fevre by the Henriot team and the quality of the wines improved. The domaine is now recognized as one of, if not the top, producers in Chablis.
Fevre releases wines under two labels, one from land owned by the domaine and the other from purchased fruit. The two labels are nearly identical, but the estate bottles read “Domaine” in script above “William Fevre”. Several premier crus are produced under the domaine label, including Beauroy (1.12 ha.), Montmains (1.75 ha.), Les Lys (0.99 ha.), Vaillons (2.86 ha.), Fourchaume and Montee de Tonnerre (1.5 ha.). A unique cuvee is bottled the from the lieu-dit Vaulaurent, which is separated from the northern portion of the grand cru Les Preuses by a path. The vineyard is allowed to use the name of the nearby premier cru Fourchaume and is labeled as Fourchaume Vignoble de Vaulaurent. More powerful than a typical Fourchaume, the wine is considered to be a “baby grand cru” by the Fevre team. Additionally, Cote de Lechet and Mont de Mileu are bottled under the negociant label.
15.2 hectares of the domaines 27 hectares are located in grand cru vineyards and the line-up is impressive. Bougros (4.12 ha.), Les Preuses (2.55 ha.), Vaudesir (1.20 ha.), Valmur (1.15 ha.) and Les Clos (4.11 ha.) are all bottled under the domaine label. The only grand cru missing from the estate’s portfolio is Blanchots, but a wine from this vineyard is sold under the negociant arm. The domaine also separates a portion of Bougros as separate cuvee. Clos des Bouguerots (2.11 ha.) is a small parcel located at the bottom of Bougros that is extremely steep. The domaine views this section as a separate vineyard and thus the eighth grand cru of Chablis. More elegant and refined, the Clos des Bouguerots cuvee is a step up from the estate’s regular bottling.
The wines made by William Fevre under the Domaine de la Maladiere label were respected, but not universally loved. New oak barrels were used liberally and the bottled wines reflected this treatment. The new regime reduced the amount of new oak used in the cellar and the wines quickly became more transparent. Didier Seguier is in charge of the winemaking and seeks to produce wines that show their terroir. All of the grapes harvested by the estate are hand-picked and carefully sorted. Some of the wines are fermented in steel vats, others in barrels, but the percentage of new oak is moderate. The wines are intense, clean and precise. William Fevre may no longer be making wine in Chablis, but his presence is still felt through the excellent domaine that bears his name.
THE AGEING POTENTIAL OF WILLIAM FÈVRE WINES
03 Dec 2013
The William Fèvre wine-estate has very rich and varied vineyards among which 60% are classified as Premiers Crus and Grands Crus. These wines offer a large array of nuances and have to be appreciated depending on moods and opportunities. However the right time to taste them is a tricky question because it is intimately linked with the ageing potential, which itself is variable according to the climate of the appellation and the vintage.
Though the Chablis wines tend to be consumed in their youth, they nonetheless show an ability to reveal themselves over 5 to 7 years of cellaring, unveiling more complex aromas while keeping a great freshness.
The Premier Crus like Les Lys and Beauroy will show well over the next 7 years.
For other climates such as Montmains, Vaulorent or even Mont de Milieu which are rich, unctuous and very mineral so that the keeping can go on for 10 to 15 years.
On the other hand one will have to be more patient with Grands Crus which can be kept for at least 10 years for some climates like Vaudésir or Bougros and beyond 15 years for Les Clos or Les Preuses.
Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeMontée de Tonnerre
Burgundy lovers enjoy debating the merits of vineyards almost as much as they savor the wines themselves. A favorite topic of conversation? Premier cru vineyards that in the right hands produce wines at grand cru quality.
For white wines on the Côte de Beaune, the premier cru Meursault Perrières is widely considered to be of grand cru quality. In Chablis, there’s one long-established premier cru vineyard that consistently towers above the rest: Montée de Tonnerre.
If this vineyard does not quite reach the level of the region’s grand crus in depth and sheer palate presence, it often does in aromatic complexity and class. In a perfect classification system, it would be ranked between premier and grand cru. Why should you care? In a word: value. Because Chablis usually is significantly cheaper than white Burgundy from the Côte de Beaune in the first place, the best examples of Montée de Tonnerre can offer remarkable quality/price rapport. If Chablis is the insider’s white Burgundy, then Montée de Tonnerre is the insider’s Chablis premier cru.
A look at the map quickly explains why. Montée de Tonnerre is situated just to the southeast of the unbroken strip of Chablis grand crus on the right bank of the river Serein
Montée Tonnerre is, in many experts’ minds, an ‘honorary’ Grand Cru—or, at the very least, as close as Premier Cru get to that top tier. The site picks up where the famed row of Grand Crus leaves off, sharing similar expositions (the “Blanchots” Grand Cru is literally across the street). Montée de Tonnerre wraps around a hillside and is traditionally broken up into three sections, or lieu-dits: “Pied d’Aloup” (at the top of the slope, facing east); “Chapelot” (more south-facing); and “Côte de Brechain” (the western slopes).
It enjoys a similar geographic profile, rich in the same Kimmeridgian limestoney chalk that makes the grand crus some of the world’s most cerebral, complex and distinctive examples of chardonnay. With its brisk citrus character, floral lift and incisive minerality, Montée de Tonnerre is wonderfully aromatic and penetrating in its youth, typically coming into greater harmony and putting on weight with five to ten years of bottle age.
Montée de Tonnerre - Chapelot, Les Chapelots, Pied d’Aloup, Sous Pied d’Aloup, Côte de Bréchain
About Chablis Pied d'Aloup Wine
Pied d'Aloup is a Premier Cru climat in Chablis, overlooking the town of Chablis itself. This small vineyard site – while a Premier Cru in its own right – is also a part of the larger Montee de Tonnerre Premier Cru climat. As such, most of the Chardonnay grapes grown in the climat go into Montee de Tonnerre Premier Cru wines, providing freshness and minerality to the blend.
The vineyard is located at the top of the hill, sitting on the steep, southeast-facing slopes above the Chapelot vineyard, also used in Montee de Tonnerre blends. The Chablis Grand Cru hill is just a short way away to the north, and Pied d'Aloup shares some of its geographical characteristics, most notably the white, chalky soils.
Chablis Pied d'Aloup
© Wine-Searcher
The Kimmeridgian soils found in Pied d'Aloup (and throughout Chablis) are well suited to viticulture, as their high levels of limestone and clay help to impart minerality to the grapes. The subsoil was deposited by an ancient sea that once covered northern France, and many tiny marine fossils have been found in the vineyards. The soils are less stony here than in other Premier Cru sites, aligning Pied d'Aloup more closely to the Grand Cru sites, and in particular Blanchot.
The southeast exposure in Pied d'Aloup means that vines receive excellent sunlight during the growing season, helping to temper the cool Burgundian climate. However, the mesoclimate in this part of the Montee de Tonnerre vineyard is slightly cooler (given its higher elevation) and, as such, the grapes have more austerity than those from lower on the slope. When blended with riper grapes from the Chapelot vineyard below, they make a well-balanced Montee de Tonnerre Premier Cru wine.
Exact position on weinlagen.infoFrance Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBurgundy Les vins de Bourgogne (Bureau interprofessionnel des vins de Bourgogne) (and in English)
Burgundy - The province of eastern France, famous for its red wines produced from Pinot Noir and its whites produced from Chardonnay. (Small of amounts of Gamay and Aligoté are still grown, although these have to be labeled differently.) The most famous part of the region is known as the Cote d'Or (the Golden Slope). It is divided into the Cote de Beaune, south of the town of Beaune (famous principally for its whites), and the Cote de Nuits, North of Beaune (home of the most famous reds). In addition, the Cote Chalonnaise and the Maconnais are important wine growing regions, although historically a clear level (or more) below the Cote d'Or. Also included by some are the regions of Chablis and Auxerrois, farther north.
Burgundy Report | Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne - na stejné téma od Heleny Baker
# 2013 Vintage Notes:
* "2013 is a vintage that 20 years ago would have been a disaster." - Will Lyons
* "low yields and highly variable reds, much better whites." - Bill Nanson
* "Virtually all wines were chaptalised, with a bit of sugar added before fermentation to increase the final alcohol level." - Jancis Robinson
# 2014 Vintage Notes:
"We have not had such splendid harvest weather for many years. This will ensure high quality (fragrant, classy and succulent are words already being used) across the board, up and down the hierarchy and well as consistently from south to north geographically apart from those vineyards ravaged by the hail at the end of June." - Clive Coates
# 2015 Vintage Notes:
"Low yields and warm weather allowed for ample ripeness, small berries and an early harvest. Quality is looking extremely fine, with some people whispering comparisons with the outstanding 2005 vintage. Acid levels in individual wines may be crucial." - Jancis Robinson
# 2017 Vintage Notes:
"Chablis suffered greatly from frost in 2017, resulting in very reduced volumes. As ever, the irony seems to be that what remains is very good quality, as it is in the Côte d’Or. Cooler nights across the region have resulted in higher-than-usual acidity, with good conditions throughout the harvest season allowing for ripe, healthy fruit." - Jancis Robinson
# 2018 Vintage Notes:
"The most successful region for red Burgundy in 2018 was the Côte de Beaune. The weather was ideal in this area, with just enough sunlight and rain to produce perfectly balanced wines naturally." - Vinfolio
Chablis Chablis (Fédération de Défense de l'Appellation Chablis) | Chablis (Burgundy Wines)
2014 Vintage Notes:
"... a hybrid of 2004/2007 and 2010. The stone, citrus and limestone amalgam is exactly what we search for in Chablis as the style harkens to a day in the Cote de Beaune proper (1960's - 1980's) when wine was not meant to be consumed the week it was released, battonage was not used by all and new oak was rarely seen ... the texture is natural and 'of the vintage' not 'of the winemaker' .... Like Sancerre or the Loire in general, 2014 in Chablis is one of those rare years with extract and transparency. It appears to be a vintage for the "neoclassic" ages and those of us intent on cellaring the most terroir-driven (but still powerful) examples of vineyard, site-place and varietal will want to invest (heavily) in the magnetic and electric 2014's." - Jon Rimmerman
2018 Vintage Notes:
"There’s not that razor sharp Chablis acidity in 2018,” says Patrick Piuze. “But there is good definition of place. The dry conditions drove vines to drink deeper down in the soil profile."
https://weinlagen-info.de/#bereich_id=58 Single vineyards on weinlagen-info James Suckling |
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