Barrel Tasting of the 2014 Vintage at Domaine Raveneau

We were received by the extremely gracious Isabelle Raveneau, the daughter of Bernard, for an unusual chance to visit this iconic domain. The range of 2014's was very, very exciting. I am extremely grateful to have had this experience.

• 2014 François Raveneau Chablis

  France, Burgundy, Chablis

  Barrel. Typically light, lean, crisp, and citric. Better than the early vintages of this wine.

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• 2014 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Monts Mains

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Barrel. Relatively light. Blazing acidity. Piercing lime fruit.

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• 2014 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Barrel. At this point, very similar in weight and character to the Montmains. The acidity here is invigorating.

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• 2014 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Barrel. Broader feel and texture than the first 2 Premier Crus with more ripe lemon rather than lime fruit. This is the first wine tasted today to display expressive sea breeze aromas. Lovely showing.

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• 2014 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Barrel. Closed aromatically, but wow, this is lean and chiseled with electric acidity and full of fossilized stone dust. Backward but unbelievably precise. This will need tons of time but should be great in the end once its fruit emerges from all of the structure. Thrilling to taste.

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• 2014 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Barrel. Pretty reticent today. Lower pitched nose, herbal. Acidity is well covered by the raw material. I think we caught this on a sullen day and don't place a lot of weight on this showing.

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• 2014 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Chapelot

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  Barrel. They blend this into the Montee de Tonnerre some years. So fascinating to compare to that wine. This had bright orange scents that jumped out of the glass and was weightier and more vivacious. It just seemed to have more of everything and was fabulous.

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• 2014 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Barrel. Broad, rich, and creamy in the Raveneau style-a real textural difference between this and the Premier Crus. Not as long as Valmur or Clos though.

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• 2014 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Barrel. Wow, almost too much for words. Poised, mouth coating, great complexity even now, fantastic length and perfect acidity. A tour de force and the best wine today. Combines the lovely creaminess of the Blanchot with the utter precision of the Butteaux and then has an extra gear beyond either of those.

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• 2014 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Barrel. Bigger than Valmur with more bright orange fruit but not better. This is more powerful, but it will be interesting to see if it matches the Valmur's complexity over time.

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• 2006 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  With incredible generosity, this was offered to us to taste blind after finishing the range of 2014's. Deep yellow. Some truffles and hazelnut. Round in the mouth with a slightly tropical quality of fruit, average acidity but good remaining minerality. Significantly fresher on the palate than the nose suggested but not a great Clos. One member of our group (not me!) correctly identified this as 2006 Clos. I was thinking more along the lines of another ripe vintage such as 2002 or 1998, although I should know better; the 2002 is not this exotic and should be less advanced.

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