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France 2013 - Chablis
Chablis
Tasted April 16, 2013 by godx with 863 views
Flight 1 - Vincent Dauvissat (10 notes)
This turned out to be one of the highlight visits of the trip, but it didn’t start out that way: Vincent’s lack of English with our lack of French made the first 15-20min quite awkward. Two other men that were tasting with us spoke French, and a bit of English, so they got to engage Vincent while we sat on the sidelines enjoying the 2011s (not the worst thing really). But once the blind wines started to get poured, and we started nailing them, the attention turned over to us and we got quite interactive despite the language barrier (amazing how much clout a few good blind guesses will get you). By the end of the visit, the awkwardness had completely left the cellar and all of us were communicating with each other with a friendly mix of broken English and battered French.
White
2011 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Petit Chablis
88 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Floral nose with minerals and lemon. Excellent acidity on the lively palate with tart citrus fruits and a fresh finish. Over delivers. Drink or hold. Very good.
White
2011 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis
89 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Bit more ripeness compared to the Petit Chablis with riper citrus on the nose and hints of floral. On the it’s not as crisp as the Petit Chablis and has more body and weight. Really nice texture. Tart citrus on the finish with excellent acidity. Will need some time. Very good. 89+
White
2011 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru Séchet
Tasted at the Domaine. Compact and a little tight on the nose. Richer on the palate with soft lemon flavours and great acidity. This is wound up tight and not as showy as the previous two wines. Judgement reserved.
White
2011 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons
90 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Ripest nose yet with stone fruits, soft lemon and minerality. Palate is crisp with green apple and tart citrus flavours. Lively acidity and good energy. Long chalky finish. Give this 3-5+ years. Excellent. 90+
White
2011 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest
91 points
Tasted at the Domaine. This shows the most Chablis typicity so far—classic citrus, minerality, saline and hints of floral and green apple. Really complex nose. On the palate more of the same with loads of acidity and a long mineral finish. Most complex wine yet with lots of potential. Fairly approachable but will age for a decade or two. Excellent. 91+
White
2011 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses
93 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Nose is very pure with minerals, sea breeze and citrus fruits. Energetic on the palate showing delicacy and perfect weight. Extremely fresh finish with loads of acidity. This is a vibrant young wine that will need 5-7 years to show its full potential but this is killing it right now. Outstanding. 93+
White
2011 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
Tasted at the Domaine. Not as expressive as Preuses but opened up a touch to reveal riper citrus fruits, white cranberries and hints of smoke. Weightier in the mouth with less obvious acidity. Seems to be a bit chunky at this point. Has more power than the Preuses but definitely not showing as well. I’d be inclined to try a bottle in 5-7 years and see where it’s at. Judgement reserved.
White
2000 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses
94 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Served blind. Smoky nose with beeswax, mature citrus fruits and touch of charred honey. Youthful energy on the palate with classic Chablis flavours, minerals and vibrant acidity. Wow, what a beautiful wine. I guessed 2000 grand cru. This is everything you want in a 13 year old grand cru Chablis. Drinking perfectly now but should cruise at this level for years. I believe this had been open for a day or two. Outstanding.
White
1996 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Petit Chablis
90 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Served blind. Beautiful medium yellow colour. Honey and ripe citrus and orchard fruits on the nose. Nice richness and maturity on the palate. Doesn’t have the weight of a grand cru and this reminds me of a ’96 Sechet I had. Older than the 2000 Preuses we just had but definitely not as complex or weighty. I guessed a 1996 1er cru which seemed to impress Vincent. I couldn’t believe it when he said it was a Petit Chablis and that it had been opened 5 days ago. Excellent.
White
1990 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest
91 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Served blind. After doing fairly well with the 00 Preuses and 96 Petit Chablis, Vincent disappeared and came back with this. Took some to open up as it was a fresh bottle and quite cold but when it did beautiful notes of gun flint, wool, citrus and orchard fruits appeared from the glass. On the palate there wasn’t as much acid as the previous 96 Petit Chablis, but there was more weight, more minerals and more length. This was showing extremely youthfully so I guessed 2002 1er cru. I think everyone was shocked to find out that this was a 1990…insane. Excellent. 91+
Flight 2 - Domaine Christian Moreau (7 notes)
White
2012 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis
Tasted at the Domaine. From tank. A very floral and light/fresh nose. Nice acidity on the palate. Fairly generic but there is a touch of Chablis typicity here. Good. (86-88).
White
2011 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon
89 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Great nose with citrus, lees and a hint of gun flint too. Excellent acidity on the palate with sweet citrus and a grassy note on the finish. Drinks well now but should be great for 5+ years. Very good. 89+
White
2011 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon Cuvée Guy Moreau
90 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Hints of oak on the nose but other than that quite similar to the straight Vaillons. Again there’s a grassy note on the palate but this has more minerality. Great acidity as well. Give this a few years. Excellent. 90+
White
2011 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir
90 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Delicate nose of fresh fruits, white flowers and hints of banana. Elegant on the palate with nice apple and citrus flavour with decent acidity. Finish is a tad short but overall this is very nice. Will need a few years. Excellent. 90+
White
2011 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
90 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Similar nose to the Vaudesir but this shows a touch more Chablis typicity on the nose. On the palate this has a bit more body, more power and more length. There are hints of tropical fruit on the palate but citrus fruits dominate. Solid acidity. Equally as good as the Vaudesir, just different (Vaudesir more elegant whereas this is more powerful). Again will need a few years. Excellent. 90+
White
2011 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
91 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Excellent nose here and it was almost a blend of Vaudesir and Valmur—tart lemon cream with hints of orchard fruits and ripe citrus fruits. More tart lemon cream on the palate with lively acidity. Longest finish amongst these 2011s. Should be great in 3-5 years. Excellent. 91+
White
2010 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos Clos des Hospices dans Les Clos
93 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Wow, what a nice. Classic Chablis notes of lemon, lime, stones, saline, minerals and a very light trace of oak. Energetic on the palate with great acidity and a long finish. Most complete and complex wine of this tasting. I’d be happy to drink this now for it’s energy and tension but should age for a decade plus. Outstanding. 93+
Flight 3 - Domaine William Fèvre (13 notes)
White
2011 William Fèvre Saint-Bris
86 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Sauv blanc like nose with grassy notes along with lemon herbs. Fresh, light and crisp with good acidity and nice green apple flavours. Pretty basic but very refreshing. Good.
White
2011 William Fèvre Petit Chablis
87 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Fruity nose with light citrus and white flowers. Crisp on the palate with excellent acidity and good length. A little tart on the palate better overall quite nice. Good.
White
2011 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis
87 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Nice nose of white fruit, florals and a hint of wood. A tad richer than the Petit Chablis with a softer finish as well. Less tart but with more minerality. Good.
White
2011 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons
89 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Most delicate nose yet with nice mineral and white flower aromas. Not as expressive on the nose as the previous few wines. On the palate loads of lemon and lime with a touch of smoke. Good acidity with a chalky mineral infused finish. Give this a few years. Very good. 89+
White
2011 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys
90 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Again a shyer nose but with some swirling notes of lime and green apple. Green apple and fresh citrus on the palate with nice minerality and a chalky finish. Excellent acidity here. Delicate and fresh. Drink or hold. Excellent. 90+
White
2011 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent
90 points
Tasted at the Domaine. More floral on the nose then the previous wine but again a delicate profile to the nose and not super expressive. Grassy on the entry then fills out giving lemon and line flavours with good weight and vibrant acidity. Drink or hold. Excellent. 90+
White
2011 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir
91 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Hint of banana on the nose as well as ripe lemon cream. Has grand cru weight on the palate with a bit of a creamy mouthfeel. Finish with good acidity and a good dose of lime and minerals. Quite a rich wine but doesn’t lack acidity or verve. Give this 3-5 years. Excellent. 91+
White
2011 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros
89 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Lemon grass notes on the elegant nose with a touch of sea breeze. Rounder and fatter on the palate compared to the Vaudesir and doesn’t have all the mineral/classic Chablis characters I look for. A bit easy and soft for me, but still a nice wine. Very good.
White
2011 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots
91 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Fairly classic nose of minerals, saline and citrus which is always a good thing. Lemony palate with excellent acidity and a chalky finish. Really nice but will need 3-5 years. Excellent. 91+
White
2011 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
92 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Very similar nose to the Cote de Bouguerots with classic Chablis aromas of wet stone, lemons, white fruits and flowers. Lemon grass flavours on the entry with tart pear and more lemon rounding things out. The finish is long with loads of minerals and wet stones. Well balanced with solid acidity. Very enjoyable right now in this youthful stage but in 5-7+ years this should be really great. Excellent. 92+
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White
2010 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros
92 points
Tasted at the Domaine. Hints of wood on the nose but beyond that really lovely aromas of lemon cream and classic saline and mineral notes. Well balanced in the mouth with loads of acidity and green apple flavours. Some nice chalky hints too. Wait a few years. Excellent. 92+
White
2003 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros
Tasted at the Domaine. Oxidative nose with hints of caramel and honey with some charred tropical notes underlying. Minerals come through on the palate but this is showing the vintage. Not a fan.
White
1998 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Domaine de la Maladière
Tasted at the Domaine. From half bottle. Slightly fresher nose than the 2003 but still oxidized. Mature flavours, rich honey, bit of chalkiness on the finish. Some caramel on the palate too with hints of butterscotch on the finish. Has better acidity than the 2003 but still this is over the hill in my opinion.
Flight 4 - Dinner at Les Clos (5 notes)
White
2008 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest
92 points
From Magnum. Beautiful and classic nose with riper citrus, saline and wet stones. Fantastic acidity and great tension. Medium weight and a long minerally finish. This offers a great combination of intensity, purity and tension. Drink or hold. Excellent. 92+
White
1996 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
93 points
No magnums of this so we ordered two 750s. Consistent notes. Wow, this is just gorgeous and getting better with air. White flowers, lemon cream and saline. Loads of searing acidity and an extremely long finish. A brilliant 1er cru Chablis and one loaded with Chablis typicity. Drinking very well now and should cruise for a decade or more. Outstanding.
Red
1996 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay Vendanges Sélectionnées
88 points
Darker fruit notes showing nice maturity and secondary notes. A tad drying on the palate with a firm and masculine profile. Still well-structured. A nice wine but completely overshadowed by the Dauvissat and Raveneau. Two bottles consumed with consistent notes. Very good.
White
2001 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
92 points
This started off quite shy with hints of botrytis and riper apple. After 20min the botrytis note blew off and beautiful aromas of minerals, lemon cream and wet stones. Great weight and depth on the palate with the intensity and power you would expect from Les Clos. Vibrant acidity and a long persistent finish. This really started to strut its stuff after 30-40min of air but by then the bottle was gone. As with most young Raveneaus, this needed to be decanted. Needs time but if opening now give this at least an hour or two of air. Excellent. 92+
Flight 5 - Other wines (2 notes)
Red
2009 Mathilde et Yves Gangloff Côte-Rôtie La Barbarine
88 points
Ripe syrah nose with violets, candied dark fruits with hints of rubber and pepper. Weighty mouthfeel with decent acidity and length. This came across as fairly modern. Obviously needs at least 5-7 years. Very good. 88+
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Red
2010 Bernard Burgaud Côte-Rôtie
89 points
Tighter nose than the Gangloff and a bit less candied/ripe. Once it opened up showed a more classic style of Cote Rotie but this is just so young. Good acidity with powdery tannins and a fairly lengthy finish. Very youthful and will need at least 10 years but should develop into something quite nice. For me this has much more potential than the Gangloff. Very good. 89+