The usual Seattle Vinous group, minus Don Kern (viral illness), plus Harry Hollander, who happily flew in from SF. 2014 for us was the last great year for Chablis, so we thought we should check in on things. The 14’s remain just wonderful wines.
2008 Dom Perignon–OK–not a Chablis, but no one complained. Fresh, more open than expected. Lemon, pear, slight brioche but not much. Young still, decent structure which bodes well for the future. Would be interesting to revisit in 5 years.
2014 Billaud-Simon Chablis Grand Cru ‘Vaudesir’–Elegant, poised wine showing just beautifully and in a great spot now. Flowers, apple, pear, lemon, slight iodine on the nose. Only mid–weight at best but beautifully balanced in terms of acidity–the wine just dances on the palate. A gorgeous ballerina (or mermaid) of a wine. (can you tell that I liked it?) (double decanted 2 hours ahead).
2014 Moreau-Naudet Chablis Grand Cru ‘Valmur’–Much thicker wine, noticeable oak, a bit heavy. The nose did not really engage. Not my style.
2014 Wm Fevre Chablis Grand Cru ‘Bougros Cote Bougerots’–A strong wine with good body and persistence. Some light Chablis qualities on the nose, but this seemed fairly subdued. Overall the wine seemed a little constrained. This was the only wine under diam. We wondered if it just hadn’t developed as much as the others because of the closure? (double decanted 2 1/2 hour ahead).
2014 Dauvissat-Camus Chablis Grand Cru ‘Les Clos’–Wonderful aromatics like the Vaudesir, with flowers, lemon, saline, iodine. More power on the palate, and more depth and length, although still mid-range in this regard. An impressive wine, and probably wine of the night for the 2014’s, although did I mention that I loved the Vaudesir? (double decanted 3 hours ahead).
2008 Raveneau Chablis Premier Cru ‘Montee de Tonnerre’–Still young. Nicely structured and textured wine, mid-weight but powerful. Lemon, slight honey, tide pool. Not as floral as some of the '14’s, but great mouth feel and length. Hard to compete with Raveneau.
