Sushi Dinner with 2000 and 2002 Premier and Grand Cru Chablis

Tasted Sunday, October 9, 2011 by drwine2001 with 783 views

Flight 1 - 2000 (4 Notes)

  • 2000 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Odd, cheese rind aroma. Good weight, underlying structure and salinity, but dulled fruit. It eventually became clear that this strange showing was due to incipient oxidation, although for this bottle, the color certainly did not provide a clue to this. Disappointing since there was clearly a lot of wine left underneath. I've gone through a case of this wine, and this is the first one to show any oxidation.

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  • 2000 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Floral and lactic on the nose. Delicate, pristine and long. It adds orange blossom and the fruit becomes sweeter as it opens. One of the most elegant wines of the night. Just gorgeous.

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  • 2000 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Oh my, here is the sea breeze Chablis scent in all of its glory. The salinity carries through to the palate, where it is long and uncompromisingly dry with subtle herbs that complement orange zest. Spectacular extract, grip and expansiveness in the mouth. Every time I went back to this, it just got better and better, showing more facets. The perfect ripeness of the fruit only became apparent during the last few sips. Fabulous, monumental white wine which completely stole the show tonight. It should go on for another decade.

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  • 2000 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Some sulfur on first whiff. Dry, rich and excellent intensity if not quite as much personality as some of the other wines. The fruit in this one also perks up and gains sweetness with air. Outstanding even having been placed after the Raveneau Valmur in the line up-quite an accomplishment! The Fevre wines from 2000 have always been much more reliable for me than the 2002s, which were fatter and had depressing rates of oxidation.

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Flight 2 - 2002 (5 Notes)

  • 2002 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru Séchet

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Significant dose of sulfur which renders it slightly bitter on the end. Lean and one of the least texturally pleasing wines tonight, but it does become richer and more pleasing as it opens. Not the best example of this based on one previous experience but still quite good.

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  • 2002 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Purer nose than the Sechet. Richer too-this is a more typical '02 Chablis. Nevertheless, excellent salinity and acidity, delicious fruit and tremendous texture. Of the 3 Dauvissat Premier Crus we tasted, this was by far the best balanced.

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  • 2002 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    Intense lemon and all manner of citrus on the nose. Very high toned and the most astoundingly perfumed wine of the series. Great back end intensity and structure. Unlike the Dauvissat Vaillons, I would not have guessed 2002 if tasted blind. Gorgeous and the one Premier Cru that gave the Grand Crus a run for their money. Much tighter and precise than the only other time I had this 2 years ago.

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  • 2002 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Serious in all respects. Salty, dense, fabulous persistent finish. Seems like a block of stone, just the most massive of all of these wines. Incredibly youthful and classic. Like the 2000 Raveneau Valmur, this too will develop for ages. No slouch, it was not out of its league next to the other big boys' wines.

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  • 2002 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    Wow, beautifully complex, fragrant nose with herbaceousness that is a perfect foil to the fruit. The most readily apparent natural sweetness of the entire set of wines. Much more open, forward and lacy in texture than the Preuses and much more fruit infused as well. Long, complex and altogether delicious. Both Billaud-Simon Grand Crus acquitted themselves exceptionally well in the midst of some pretty impressive company. I have previously thought that they are real sleepers in this vintage, and that was amply borne out at this tasting.

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Flight 3 - To Finish (2 Notes)

Closing

With all of the angst surrounding white Burgundy from these 2 vintages, we were ecstatic that 8 of 9 bottles were not only in great shape but also stunningly good. The overall level was as high as I can recall for any recent tastings that involved this number of wines. Apart from individual bottles that were great, what was particularly heartening was the sense that the 2002s as a group displayed more verve and staying power than I feared they would. All in all, a wonderful evening with great friends with whom to share and taste the wines.

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