2012 Chablis at Domaine William Fèvre
Tasted June 16, 2014 by HowardNZ with 504 views
Introduction
As Andrew said, on our arrival at Chablis for the day, before our walk around the Grand Crus vineyards, we stopped at a cafe for a basic lunch where we drank the 2009 Servin.
We had no appointments in Chablis, but were fortunate to find Domaine William Fèvre open for a tasting of a good range of their 2012s.
I was very impressed by these 2012s, compared with the few other 2012 Chablis I have tried. It is obviously a less classical vintage than say 2010, that the very knowledgeable person who served us described as the best Fèvre vintage of the last 20 years, being richer, but these were very good wines, with good acidity, I thought.
It was interesting to hear him talk about the riper vintages of Fèvre, like 2009 and 2003. He was of the view that the 2009 will last for a long time on its fruit, not its structure. He also thought that the 2003s would be long lived. (We did not raise the vexed premox issue with him).
Flight 1 (1 note)
White
2009 Domaine Servin Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
A relatively deep yellow colour for a Chablis. A generous, rich nose of some stonefruit, I might not pick blind as Chablis if I were not paying attention. However, some oyster shell and marine aromas in the background. More definitively Chablis on the palate. Fairly broad and generous with a lot of ripe fruit. The flavours were lemon rind and stone fruit, with some salinity and minerality. Luscious but clean, with some acidity, very good Chardonnay, but not classical in style. It broadened a little more with the food. It should last for years.
Flight 2 (6 notes)
White
2012 William Fèvre Petit Chablis
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Petit Chablis
Quite a rich, fruity and broad expression for this label. Very clean, it did have some freshness and minerality on the palate, and reasonable structure.
White
2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis
France, Burgundy, Chablis
A refreshing, energetic wine with reasonable acidity. Citrus and white flowers on the nose, a big step up from the Petit Chablis, with better fruit and bigger structure.
White
2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Again, quite a step up. A very good Chablis that was very powerful and primary, with relatively racy acidity. Reflecting its cooler site, a cooler expression. Minty, with grippy phenolics, an elegant and long wine, finishing on some chalky minerality.
White
2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Better again, to my palate, showing even more phenolic grip. Powerful, rich and concentrated, showing attractive, sparkling acidity, with good balance. The flavours were pear and citric, again with some minerals in the background. The largest scaled Chablis so far, showing excellent, quite big fruit and good length.
White
2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
A lovely Grand Cru, showing greater complexity and finesse, with real depth and power. Serious fruit on the palate, again showing the richness of the vintage, with fine minerality and precision.
White
2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
We took a bottle of the Les Clos to dinner after the tasting, so I got a good look at it. Hugely impressive, probably the best Chablis I have had this year. Light lemon colour. Great purity on the nose. Minerals, crushed river stone and white blossoms, with a hint of spice. Also, aromas of sea breeze and some oyster shell. On palate, real Les Clos complexity, with layers of flavour, from citric to stone fruit to tropical fruit. Again rich, with excellent acidity and balance, including in the oak treatment. Serious dry extract, real depth, power and length. This needs five years cellar time as a minimum.
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