Raveneau Tasting

Pike & Western, Seattle, WA
Tasted Wednesday, March 30, 2005 by Jason with 1,077 views

Introduction

The owner of Pike & Western, Michael, only gets 1 mixed case a year of Raveneau. He saves these wines and hosts tastings every few years. I was lucky enough to be able to attend this time.

My first comment is DAMN! I have avoided the Burg bug until now, but I don't think I can do it much longer. These wines were just awesome. I have always loved Chablis, but these were a cut above.

Flight 1 - 2000-2002 Montée de Tonnerre (3 Notes)

I really enjoyed the 00 and found the 02 to be awesome. The 01 is not up to the same quality.

  • 2000 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    I was surprised by the initial caramel elements I got on the nose. With time some oyster shell started to surface. The palate was wonderfully round with some popcorn and lemon candy. The acid was hiding on the front palate but really came out in the extremely long finish. This should be great with some age.

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  • 2001 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 88 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    The color was far more vibrant and crystaline in this vintage than the 00 or 02. The nose showed honeycomb cany and smoke. The other tasters talked about how Riesling like it was. I understand what they meant. The palate was not that chardonnay like. I found it to be sweet, simple, and a bit muddled. The finish was very long. Hopefully this will settle with time.

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  • 2002 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 94 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    The nose was fairly faint with hints of minerality, mustiness, and slight whiffs of candy. The palate was simply awesome. It was massive with terrific complexity, length, and endless layers of flavors. After my first sip I savored the finish for over a minute. I bit off a piece of bread. The entire time I chewed the bread all I could taste was the wine. When this fully opens it will be even better. 94++

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Flight 2 - 2000-2002 Valmur (3 Notes)

The 02 is a life changing type wine. Wow.

  • 2000 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    This was the first nose of the night that really seemed steely to me. In addition to that minerality with some air I found notes of candy corn. The palate showed butter and oyster shells with some spice. Overall this seems very closed.

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  • 2001 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    The nose showed campfire and candied elements. The palate was thick and weighty with nutmeg and obvious botrytis. This wine would considered long for most Chards, but it was not nearly as long or complex as the others tonight. I prefered this a bit over the Montee de Tonnere because it showed more precision and focus.

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  • 2002 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 97 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

    While the nose was fairly closed I was able to coax out some cinnamon. The palate was so thick it seemed a bit oily. I was stunned with the power and explosiveness of the midpalate and finish. It literally exploded in my mouth. The finish was the longest finish of any young, dry wine I have tasted before. While I loved some of the other wines at this tasting, this was the only one that made my spine tingle. Worth any price. 97++

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Flight 3 - Corked Flight (1 Note)

No Burg tasting would be complete without a corked arguement. I was convinced it was corked from the first pour, but others thought the mustiness was just funk that would blow off. 10 minutes later I was sorry to see that I was right.

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