Chablis, how I love thee

Apparently I went through a period in which I didn’t drink much Chablis, or what I had did not make much impression on me. So it was with real pleasure to come back to a few bottles and be reminded exactly why I love them.

First up was a wine that I have posted on before, but I put it here again for some context. This was the 2000 V. Dauvissat Forest, which is well on its way to full maturity, although I don’t think the plateau here will be short. The wine was pale straw yellow in color, with a surprisingly delicate nose of quinine, finely comminuted rock dust, and a touch of white flower just beginning to emerge. The quinine (or others might call it a bitter citrus note) was there on the palate as well, merging nicely with the delicate mineral character on the finish. Not a blockbuster wine, in fact more feminine (if I can use that descriptor) and elegant in style, I thought this was great and ready to go.

Less ready for prime time was the 2000 Raveneau Montée de Tonnerre, which showed a more reserved nose of quinine and briny mineral dust than the Dauvissat Forest from the same year, but also another dimension of power and complexity. However, the wines were perhaps less different than I might have thought they would be, with the Raveneau MdT showing also a graceful, detailed, almost lacy texture that seems to distinguish it in at least some years from the more powerful Grand Cru. In fact, this wine struck me as a younger version of the 1990 Raveneau Montée de Tonnerre I tried a few years back at a Chablis offline—very elegant, detailed, and complex, but without the sheer power and almost metallic structure that the Grand Cru can show.

Last up, and by no means ready to drink at all (but we did anyway) was the 2001 Vincent Dauvissat les Clos. Wow, this was mouthful of vibrant acid, with a distinctly metallic note on the palate that reminded (literally) of the taste of stainless steel—these notes were even more prominent than the mineral notes. And the acidity! You could almost feel those etch pits on the teeth nucleating, and I found myself wishing I had brought along a portable pH meter. Still, this had real class and power, a clear step up from the 1er Crus. This will great in five or so years—don’t think of drinking one sooner. I have to say that this seems to show quite a bit more potential than the 2001 Fevre les Clos (if anybody is comparing).