RAVENEAU Tasting @ Restaurant De Eendracht

Like last year, restaurant “De Eendracht” in Rotterdam hosted us and thanks go out to Sommelier Ward for assisting us and patron/chef Pepijn & crew for cooking us a great dinner. Their food is modern and eclectic, but they use nothing but the best local products, the majority of which is grown under their own supervision.

All Raveneaux were opened at nine AM and tasting commenced at half past three. I jotted down some quick initial impressions which I will weave into the TN’s below. I paired the two Butteaux, the ’07 and ’08 Montée de Tonnerre and the Grands Crus together, while serving the other two wines alone due to their eccentricity.

• 2007 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  The medium-minus intense straw core is devoid from colour at the rim. The medium intense and typical minerally dominated nose has added a layer of sweeter citrus fruits to the earlier notes of saline minerality, lemon and white flowers. Also, the blue-ish clay this part of Montmains is known for seems to now express itself more precisely. Seemingly no more than medium bodied thanks to the pronounced zippy acidity of the vintage, the lean impression continues on the mid-palate with medium-plus intense flavours of totally saline –even prickly, if that makes sense– oyster shell, while the lemon sherbet-like fruit is still somewhat shy. The understated 30-35 second finish induces severe squinting among the bulk of present tasters, despite great integration of materials and a lushly textured deliverance. Being the sucker that I am for nervously styled wines however, I will award 91 points with upside potential, but I will nonetheless endeavour to leave the rest of my stash until 2017......TN Mike de Lange

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• 2006 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  In contrast to the previous Butteaux, this wine has brightened in colour from medium intense yellow to moderately intense straw at the core. The difference in terroir shows immediately in a layer of richness, which expresses itself as a ground almond note by the time it is poured. Over this base, no more than medium-minus intense notes of cretaceous mineral clay, lime and acacia are displayed with considerable precision. While medium-plus bodied, the acidity has picked up the slack and is now near pronounced. It can’t disguise the slight weightiness of medium-plus intense mid-palate flavours of ripe oranges, toast and ground almonds, but considering the difficult vintage overall balance is quite good. The finish adds a pleasantly bitter mineral touch initially, but a slight phenolic edge manifests itself after 15-20 seconds and cohesion is lost ten seconds later. Here is a wine from a vintage which I have managed to by and large avoid as a far as white Burgundy is concerned. Compared to present company, it undoubtedly lacks tension but that doesn’t make it any less of an achievement by itself, considering the grape materials of the time. I’ll give 90 points and waiting for a few more years might just see a small improvement ..... TN Mike de Lange

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• 2002 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Upon opening, this next wine had a lightly intense watery core, which when poured had intensified to medium intense canary yellow with golden highlights. On the nose too, the barely registering impressions of white flowers and saline mineral clay have intensified to pronounced notes of lemon sherbet, cardamom & other asian dried spice and a ripe rock melon component; all over a liquid limestone base. Medium-plus bodied on the attack, the pronounced acidity is now impeccably buffered and integrated to the extent that this wine presents a wonderful drinking experience, where it was quite dry and really attacked the gums in the morning. It does not disappoint on the mid-palate either, as refined & pronounced flavours of red grapefruit and spiced melon receive lift from the similar fatty clay-like mineral sensation that the previous wine merely hinted at. The finish adds an interesting slight bitter fennel-seed touch and continues to entertain for a good 40 seconds, while leaving behind a thick deposit of minerals on the tongue… or so it seems. I see no qualms in drinking this wine now –but it will hold for years longer– and award 93 points. Unfortunately, I have only a single bottle left ..... TN Mike de Lange

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• 2007 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Here I spot a pale straw-coloured core, but also bright and sparkly highlights. The most closed wine so far –but not nearly in hindsight– has improved slightly in intensity from diffuse lemon rind & exotic spice impressions not unlike the Butteaux, to lightly intense but airy impressions of white flowers and calcareous clay.On the attack this most exalted of Premier Crus seems no more than medium-bodied, thanks to feisty pronounced acidity which is somehow very well-buffered, despite at best medium intense flavours of lemon sherbet and high-toned minerality. Said balance is more likely maintained by the very serious extraction levels, which act as a glycerine coating on the mid-palate. So, despite being rather reticent this wine is not unpleasant to drink and for the discerning taster, the 35-40 second finish is tension-laden, sneaky and a harbinger of things to come.I would still rate this performance in the high eighties, but if you are lucky enough to have bought some, I implore you to give it a wide berth for the better part of the next decade. You won’t be disappointed! For now, it’s Hors Categorie. ..... TN Mike de Lange

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• 2008 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Upon opening, this wine was devoid of colour and showed barely perceptible hints of citrus fruits on the nose. In the mouth it resembled dense acidic water and I made a mental note to doubly decant it later. Unfortunately I forgot, but seven hours on the core has intensified somewhat to medium-minus intense straw. The nose now also shows medium-minus intense, minerally derived notes of oyster shell and clay. This 2008 is similarly medium-bodied to its previous sibling and similarities do not end there, as it is indeed also very reticent; probably even more so. Medium-minus intense grapefruit flavours cannot quite balance its pronounced zippy acidity and despite similarly impressive levels of dry matter on the mid-palate, it comes across as somewhat austere. This coiled-up state never really lets up, but whatever precarious balance exists still lasts for 20-25 seconds on the finish. While presently even less approachable than the 2007, I suspect it is of similar quality. I’m afraid I have to recommend another “hands-off” however, since scoring it would be pointless. Another Hors Categorie it is, then ...... TN Mike de Lange

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• 2001 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  The medium intense canary yellow core displays bright golden highlights and distinct clearing appears at the rim. The medium-plus intense nose initially offers up notes of butter, botrytis/diesel and riper–indeed tropical– fruits. When poured, this has diversified to physalis, toast, menthol, honeyed orange rind and a musky flower component.Over time the wine seems to have put on weight, as it is now medium-plus bodied and coupled with not quite medium-plus acidity it is a rich wine indeed in the context of this afternoon. On the mid-palate the botrytis has integrated to produce a cornucopia of medium-plus intense honeyed quince, white peach and green sherbet flavours, while the minerality seems briny in a Sercial Madeira kind of way. The 20-25 finish shows very nice integration of flavours and structure, but falls apart somewhat after that point. And so, while this wine is not for Chablis purists, it provides a wild ride for those open to more adventurous sensations. 90 points and for my palate this wine is as good as it is ever going to be ..... TN Mike de Lange

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• 2008 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Nearly devoid of colour on both occasions, the barely perceptible hints of citrus fruits and saline minerals have developed somewhat to display medium-minus –yet precise– notes of white flowers, fennel seed, lime sherbets, a cooling menthol top note and a hint of Serein clay. Never more than medium bodied, its class is on display from the get-go and while fairly closed at all times, a veritable ant hill of tense activity just below the tasting threshold can be sensed more than tasted. This is best illustrated on the mid-palate, where feisty pronounced acid is buffered supremely by buckets of extract rather than the intense, but mostly acid-driven flavours of granny smith apple, grapefruit, lemon & spice and lifted cretaceous minerals. This truly Grand Cru possesses an airiness not unlike commonly found in great Chevalier-Montrachet and while the finish seems to have lost the crescendo it displayed in the morning, it still chisels itself onto the palate for 35-40 seconds. This is truly great wine, which seems destined for a top-half-of-the-nineties score, but please make sure to give it plenty of time in the cellar. In my conservative viewpoint, 93 points are certainly warranted for this showing ...... TN Mike de Lange

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• 2007 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Lightly intense straw-coloured at the core. Unfortunately, the wine I had the highest hopes for never really got out of the gate. Impressions of citrus fruits, fennel bulb, liquorice and chlorine minerals never became more than mere wisps.This coveted trophy bottling seems featherlight, although it is in reality firmly medium bodied. With the last sip, the flavour intensity settles on medium, but the flavours of lime and spiced toast remain understated and somehow cool in nature. While the mid-palate is somewhat austere at first (no) thanks to gum-degrading acidity, the therapeutic influence of O2 puts all structural elements sufficiently in place to make this wine approachable in an intellectual way at least. Its class can at present also be inferred from its lovely smooth texture and surprisingly civilized and sneaky 25-30 finish, which sports a back-end helping of buttery clay that clings to the roof of the mouth for the better part of a minute. At the end of the day however, this wine is as violently closed as any and does not have the showiness of the Valmur 2008 to make up for it. I have no doubt it will be magnificent in at least a decade from now and I would love to have another chance to taste it by that time, but judgment will have to be postponed until then. Again, Hors Categorie ...... TN Mike de Lange

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When reading my notes, please remind yourself that in my scoring methodology I regard an 80 point wine as perfectly servicable if nothing special. Such a wine has to be well made to the extent that it possesses only pure smells & flavours of fruit and/or terroir derived notes ...... TN Mike de Lange