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2008 Fevre Premier Cru and Grand Cru Chablis
Vin Vino, Palo Alto
Tasted May 15, 2010 by drwine2001 with 498 views
Introduction
Unfortunately, I missed some of the range (Montmains, Fourchaume, and Vaulorent) because I was too miserly and did not taste the biggest boy (Les Clos) since the shop did not have enough to pour. All of the wines except for one had pristinely pale young Chablis color, so I have left these visual impressions out of the notes.
Flight 1 (5 notes)
White
2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons
Piercingly saline nose. Light bodied with salt and lime fruit. Long, mineral finish. I really like the degree of intensity for its weight.
White
2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
Gently saline with more florality than the Vaillons. Also delicate feel with a hint of riper baked apple, but strong acidity and swirling stoniness give it great focus at the end. Long and classic.
White
2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir
A shade darker than the rest of the wines. Riper nose with apple and even some cinnamon. Light to medium weight. Some wood shows. Missing something on the mid-palate and not as much drive or minerality as the other wines. Very dry finish with some austerity. My least favorite of the 5 wines tasted.
White
2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses
Combination of ripe fruit and salt aromatics. This has the greatest volume and lushness of the line up with distinct, yellow apple fruit. Slightly lower acid and a sweeter impression than the others, although on the finish, it snaps back with some bitterness and significant salinity. The biggest here is not the best.
White
2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
Definitely leaner than the Preuses but possessing a great sense of extract. Subtly sweet lemony fruit (as opposed to the apple tones in the other wines). Really great combination of angularity balanced by flesh. Classic, round, and long with a rocky finish. This wine has everything you're looking for in Chablis. I'm sorry that I couldn't taste Les Clos, but it is hard to imagine that wine being much better than this.
Closing
Excellent set of wines and a promising introduction to '08 Chablis. Interestingly, I got more apple than citrus fruit out of these wines than I ordinarily do with Chablis. The big question mark hanging over these wines is whether this producer has figured out the cause of the oxidation problems that marred so many bottles over the first half of this decade.