Community Tasting Note

• drwine2001 wrote:

  April 28, 2020 - Perfect pale yellow/greenish color. Some transient reductive stink, white flowers, and tide pool. Classic lemon attack, herb, and guava jelly with outstanding mid-palate density and texture followed by an explosive, powerful finish laced with acidity and gravelly soil. Wow! This was fantastic and not what I had expected from previous tastings in 2016 and 2019 when the wine seemed fatter and less classic. All I can say is do not be fooled by the early richness Dauvissat wines can show in riper vintages. I have made this mistake multiple times when tasting young wines from vintages such as 2009 and 2006 (even 2003), and invariably, the wines become leaner over time. Such is the case here, and the 2012 Forest has morphed into a compelling wine.

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3 Comments

• WEB,III commented:

  4/29/20, 9:59 AM - My (limited)experience is 2012 Chablis, in general, may have been overlooked, or else the vintage was not as compelling young. The more 2012s I have tasted the more appreciation I have for vintage and glad I have not drunk through them.

• drwine2001 commented:

  4/29/20, 12:56 PM - WEB-I looked back at my notes on 2012 Chablis from the past few years. A smattering of producers is represented. I must say that lowish acidity and a character of pear rather than citrus fruit come up pretty consistently. Since these are not qualities that I'm seeking in Chablis, my view is still that more tense, classically rendered wines such as this La Forest are the exception for this particular vintage.

• WEB,III commented:

  4/29/20, 2:43 PM - Understood. 2012 acidity for Chablis is better, or at least more balanced, than 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, and, most likely, 2019, for example, and, arguably, a lot better acidity overall than what was revealed/believed initially. Many Producers are comparing 2012 to 2010, 2008, and even 2002, and one could certainly do worse with Chablis than those references. Those who have tasted far more vintages and bottles than I have shared that so-called, “riper” vintages are sometimes unfairly judged at the outset because the flesh, concentration, and structure of wines in youth does not seemingly imply longevity because the acidity is hidden by the aforementioned characteristics. In contrast, often wines with leaner profiles, which are very appealing at the outset, i.e. “classic”, do not age as well as expected because wines do not have enough phenolic material and maturation to compliment the acidity. YMMV. Another example is this: a Chablis grower informed me that their 2017 acidity is virtually identical to 2014, and most would never conclude this upon tasting both vintages young because the 2017s had so much more phenolic development and concentration than the 2014s. The body of 2017 gives the impression that acidity is less. Again, YMMV. I have not really dug into my 2012 1er and Grand Cru yet and believe those from the best Producers will be most appealing at and after 10 years. I repeat: YMMV. I
  I have been wrong before and will assuredly be wrong again. Your perspective is appreciated as a reference. Enjoy!

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