This weekend, I had the opportunity to try the Dauvissat 05 Le Clos and 04 La Forest. Both excellent, minerally, likeable. The Clos had slight tropical notes and a bit more precision.
These were my first Dauvissats, and my experience with Chablis is limited but I’ve liked the acidity and cut, the stoniness and salinity, and the overall fineness of what few I’ve tried.
I am curious as to what producers WB folks think are worth seeking out? Thoughts on Fevre and Michel? And favorite PC vineyards or even specific wines to seek out. Also curious as to thoughts about the 11, 12 and 13 vintages.
Raveneau, Dauvissat, Fevre, Billaud-Simon. Vineyards Clos, Montee de Tonnerre, Forest, Valmur, Preuses. Dip into Cote de Beaune and try PYCM, if you haven’t already - lots of price points and selections.
Dauvissat is one of the best and singular in way that Raveneau is, don’t expect many others to come close, not that any of the other rec’s aren’t good or even great but not close to the same.
For me Steve’s rec’s are great but come others: Droin, Piuze, Pattes Loup to name a few.
Laurent Tribut makes a very nice Bearoy PC. I find them to be very interesting and to have a lot of depth, though they do come cross as fuller bodied than Dauvissat. The wines are traditionally made and hand picked also.
for me, in Chablis, it’s the big two–Raveneau and Vincent Dauvissat–Fevre is a distant third and Jean Dauvissat is not the equal of the (formerly R &) V Dauvissat. There are other great Chablis, but I haven’t tasted Billaud-Simon, Michel, Tribut, etc at 20 years on. Droid had a terrible premox rate, except for their wonderful Vaudesir, but I have no recent experience; Pattes Loups and Puize are too new for me to assess reliability and ageability. The co-op La Chablisienne is often the source of excellent and well-priced Chablis and should not be overlooked. Deals can often be found and, of recent vintages, look back to 2010.
Your ignorance of fine wine amazes me sometimes! E&J Gallo Pink Chablis was a crass, would-be competitor. I said Paul Masson. The “we will sell no wine before its time” people. The guys with the ads done by a shit-faced Orson Welles!
Fevre, Vincent (f/k/a R&V) Dauvissat and Raveneau grand crus. Worth the price.
I recently had a chance to taste trough the 2013 Louis Michel 1ers, and I thought they showed very well. I believe Michel uses only stainless steel tanks, so there is no oak influence in the wines. Each wine was lean and possessed a sense of minerality, but I took no formal notes and can’t add much more. I particularly enjoyed the Butteaux and Montee de Tonnere. The Fourchaume, while the least open of the lot, also had the most prominent sea foam/oyster shell character and seemed to me to be the best candidate for long-term aging.
I agree that Dauvissat, Raveneau, and Fevre (among others mentioned upthread) are worth seeking out. But the Michel 1ers are fine wines in their own right, and you can acquire them for between $30 to $40 per bottle.
I did not buy too much '11 or '12 Chablis; I prefer the style of '08 and '10, each of which to me seem less opulent, leaner and more acid-driven.
I’ve had extremely good luck with '12s. They have more material than '08 or '10 but good acids and I haven’t found them rich or round. '11s can be quite round, and while pleasant enough, not really what I’m looking for in the region.
and unlike the days of old when anything less than 1er cru was a waste of money, the young turks are making some excellent village level wines. These can be an outstanding value for a white burgundy, IMH and bottom feeding in the Bourgogne opinion.
Like Alan mentioned above there is Raveneau and Vincent Dauvissat, then there is the rest of Chablis. Try Fevre GC vs either if the above’s GC blind and you will begin to understand.
Seems to me you are curious about the level below Raveneau and V. Dauvissat, here let me add Duplessis.
Except for possibly Dauvissat and Raveneau, I would avoid 2011. The 2012’s are a bit fuller than 2008 and 2010, but the ones I have tried have the acid and mineral/oyster shell I am looking for. I like Fevre, Michel and Piqc. I haven’t had any 13’s yet.
it’s worth noting that the Chablis A.O.C. bottling from either Raveneau or Dauvissat are quite good and can age for longer than, I think, most people would expect. since the prices for R&D are going up and up, the A.O.C. cuvee can be a fun, albeit less serious, alternative.
