Raveneau Grand Cru with Maxime Raveneau
110 Taillevent London
Tasted November 19, 2021 by BenBlu with 196 views
Introduction
I love Raveneau wines, as many of us here do. It was with great excitement and anticipation that the opportunity arose to enjoy all 3 Grand Crus of 05/08/10/12 in the presence of Maxime Raveneau at 110 Taillevent London organised by the great sommelier Paul Robineau. A wonderful menu to pair with these special wines was also created.
Flight 1 - 2012s (3 notes)
2012s generally the only wines that weren't ready yet. Nice to get a glimpse of what they will be as the quality is there and it should be on the level of the great 08 (they share the great minerality).
White
2012 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. This was packed and stacked, very electric and mineral. Too young today should be grand. 93 today with potential to 95.
White
2012 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. Highest acidity of the trio, in vein of vintage mineral and almost painfully tight today. Wait 3-5 years and you will have a wonderful wine on your hands. 93 today with potential to 94/95.
White
2012 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. The Clos for me slightly besting the other 2 GCs in this vintage. Interestingly the most approachable to me today although also still too young and tight. Very mineral, concentrated but lush fruit peaking through. Should be a grand wine in the future. 94 today with potential to 96/97.
Flight 2 - 2008s (3 notes)
2008 has opened up in the last years and now in early sweet spot. Fantastic vintage with pronounced minerality.
White
2008 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. Those 08s so much more open than the 12s before. Super tension, crisp and lifting mineral. In its early sweet spot and stylistically felt in a vein with 12 but just with added benefit of the years in bottle.
White
2008 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. Again the highest acidity in the Valmur, slightly bit less round than the other 2 GCs, but also in the vein of the vintage in a super spot to drink now already, with great minerlity and tension.
White
2008 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. This wine has come a long way since I last had it 3 years ago (when it was painfully tight for my taste), now it has opened up and is the real deal - for me marginally better than the also great Blanchot, and probably my 2nd WOTN if I had to pick (after Clos 10). Very impressive stuff indeed!
Flight 3 - 2010 (3 notes)
A glorious vintage chez Raveneau, long a favourite of mine. Probably my favourite flight of the night. Although not showcased I will add that I think Montee Tonnerre 10 is totally knocking on those GC doors in 2010 and is a wine that would have been able to swim with the glorious three GCs in my view.
White
2010 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. The 10 vintage stylistically for me the best out of the four, it's got it all being very classic Chablis but also having a radiant fruit to it. The best of the Blanchots today with the 08 a neck to neck for me.
White
2010 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. To me in 2010 a vintage where Valmur is not inferior (stupid word really for this wine in general but just as I see it side by side the other 2 GCs) to the Blanchot. Again the highest acidity but here there are honeyed notes emerging that give it such a beautiful balance and make it so drinkable. My favorite Valmur of the night, no doubt.
White
2010 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. Clos 2010 has been a favorite of mine and having been fortunate enough to drink it twice before it didn't disappoint on this occassion either and in the context of all those other great wines. I love the 2010 vintage for Raveneau wines and the Clos is the pinnacle of it just pipping the also excellent 2 other GCs. It's at a 96 level today but has potential to push even higher and become legendary.
Flight 4 - 2005 (3 notes)
My least favourite flight - but that's splitting hair as quality here too was sky high. Probably stylistically I found them tiny bit duller / heavier than the other vintages which seemed to have more glow / minerality to me.
White
2005 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. First bottle was slightly oxidized with akward fennel notes on the nose, btw the only bottle out of 48 (!) bottles to show any minor issues, what a track record for aged white Burgundy. A second bottle delivered the goods. 05 markedly more mature than the other vintages, a tiny bit less refinement for me than the other vintages and my least preferred although at very high consistent level.
White
2005 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. The only Valmur where to me it wasn't obvious that it had the highest acidity. Also a very successful wine and in 05 to me it's nearly on a par with the excellent Blanchot.
White
2005 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
During Raveneau dinner with Maxime Raveneau sampling all three GCs 12/10/08/05 at 110 Taillevent London. No formal notes taken. Clos again just pipping the other two GCs in this vintage too with another small gear above the others. Still my least preferred out of all the vintages, although again such nit picking.
Flight 5 - Trio of reds "afterparty" (3 notes)
Three lovely reds to round out a superb evening. All delivering big time.
Red
2012 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
I really like Rousseau Charmes 12, it's better than the 10 and miles better than the weak 11. Very open on pnp, lovely earth, sous bois, wild strawberry and cherry fruit. Not a massive wine but a real "Charme(s)"r. Drink now and over the next two decades. 94+
Red
2010 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Mazy-Chambertin
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
Dense and concentrated, packed and stacked after an open nit and giving Rousseau Charmes 12. This Mazy is a wine that deserves another decade at least to soften but the raw materials are amazing and it should emerge a wonderful wine with true Gevrey earth and game.
Closing
A truly magnificent night. The unpretentious and affable Maxime made for fantastic company over such glorious Chablis wines. There are a few take-aways from this evening as Raveneau wines go, neither of which may surprise Raveneau fans:
1) Consistency: Wow, I couldn't think of another producer that makes such consistent wines. All 12 wines showed amazing consistency and while scoring is personal my band is a very narrow one for all of them indeed.
2) Longevity: 48 bottles were opened, only 1 had a minor ox issue (Blanchot 05) which btw would not have been detected if not for the benefit of comparing it to the other wines and another clean bottle. I don't think this is a track record that (m)any white Burgundies could produce with some bottle age and especially for those vintages.
3) Valmur is the wine with the highest acidity and this showed in the side by side.
Thanks to Maxime, Paul and the entire 110 Taillevent team for an epic evening and being able to get more intimate with these wines that are the very best that Chablis offers and quite simply are beautiful white wines consistently across vintages and vineyards. Bravo & Merci!
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