Premox Fevre?

The number of reports of prematurely oxidized (premox) Fevre Chablis is becoming worrisome considering how many I have in the cellar. It seems difficult to completely discount all of the reports of premox Fevre coming in given the wide range of wine tasters/geeks reporting it. Still, one's own experience has to be the most reliable, given that one can compare results of wines stored under the same conditions and then sampled with the same palate.

My own first indication that something was going on was this past summer when I drank one of my stash of 2002 Fevre Vaillons, a Premier Cru that in the past had performed quite well, even if not at maturity. The wine is marked by a viscous oily palate expression that shows distinct aromas of petrol, almost like a Riesling transplanted to Kimmeridgian soil. When immature, the wine is characterized by a bracing citrus core, that while fatter than many a classical Chablis, still represents accurately the terroir. This past summer, however, the Vaillons seemed to have taken a significant leap forward on the aging curve, with floral and tropical fruit aromas appearing along with nutty flavors and a marked softening of the palate. Actually drinking quite well in its style, but one would have to conclude that it was either at peak, or slightly past it.

Another bottle of 2002 Fevre Vaillons this fall showed a similar character, although it was not so far along the aging curve. The petrol notes on the nose seem to have given way to honeysuckle floral aromas, and the sharp citrus edge is rounding out. Again a nice bottle, maybe losing a little bit of its nervosite, but drinking well nontheless. But the accelerated aging here is hard not to notice.

Then a bottle of 2002 Fevre Preuses (Grand Cru Chablis) at Lou Rittenhouse's place. I thought the initial nose showed the slightest touch of premox, but since the signal did not strengthen with time in the glass, I wouldn't hold to that opinion. But the wine was soft and accessible, maybe just this side of maturity, without any of that hard citrus/mineral edge that the purists always look for in their Chablis. In fact, the wine was quite reserved and subdued, a real sleeper wine with submerged complexity, that some might have called dilute or watery. In fact, it reminded me a bit of a 2002 Fevre les Clos tasted at our Rubicon offline a few years back, which was missing the power and the emphatic signature one usually finds in bottles of les Clos. The conclusion there was that the wine was just sleeping, but it was interesting to see something of that same signature in the Preuses. Rather than sounding negative on this wine, I should point out that the Grand Cru complexity was lurking there--I was glad to see those signature Preuses tidal pool aromas and that saline bite had survived the aging process. But I don't know long-lived this wine is going to be. ...

Another 2002 sampled last week was the 2002 Fevre Bougros, a Grand Cru from low on the slope below Preuses. I think of this as a second tier Grand Cru--in 2006, for example, it did not show quite as well as the 2006 Fevre Fourchaume Vaulorent, although that may be partly because the Bougros will take longer to come around. But it does not normally have quite the complexity of the top Grand Cru (e.g. Preuses, Clos, Bougros Cotes des Bouguerots,...), even if the power is there. However, on this Friday the 2002 Fevre Bougros was showing very well, replete with vibrant energy conveyed by the citrus core, which is now softened and rounded slightly relative to how it showed when young. The round palate here is viscous, almost sappy, and a distinct petroleum note emerges on the nose, very similar in style to the Vaillons when younger. So not a great Grand Cru, but still performing quite well at its level--a bit more power and structure than the Premier Cru Vaillons from across the river, and another step up in viscosity. We had another bottle on Monday at Five Restaurant that was slightly corked, and the fruit was clearly muted compared to the Friday bottle.

So while I don't think it is time to drink all of your Fevre Chablis, one would do well to keep closer track of them. In particular, the 2002 seem to be aging fast, which is perhaps in keeping with their ripe, somewhat more accessible style (as compared, for example, to a Dauvissat).