For me, Laurent Tribut is now a great alternative for Raveneau (hard to impossible to find) and Dauvissat (I’m slowly getting outpriced, but still buy some). We just had a bottle of 2002 Laurent Tribut Chablis tout court this past week and it was just perfect. I’m no Fevre fan - good to great Chardonnay, but - except for the simple Chablis - the wines are not what I’m looking for when buying Chablis.
It’s not Chablis, but for the Chablis feel, I also really like the Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre Chardonnays from Goisot - Gueules de Loup and Gondonne. They have the same kind of white to green yellow fruit and sea breeze aromatics and saline mouthfeel as really good Chablis, they age really well and they don’t cost much.
2012 is a classic year, fabulous wines pretty much across the board. I have heard mixed reports on 2013, but haven’t tried any yet. 2011 Chablis can be good, but can show a bit of harsher acidity from the warmer vintage and early harvest.
As for producers, obviously Raveneau and Dauvissat are top notch, but they each have their “styles” just like others. Frankly, I almost think Fevre exhibits the most classic Chablis profile these days. And it’s one of the more available and affordable (though prices have definitely gone up). I also like Christian Moreau quite a lot. There are a lot of fans of Louis Michel, though I haven’t had any of the wines in a few years (I felt they showed a little more oak back then, not sure about more recent vintages).
Noah, from my point of view, and the only Chablis producer I buy anymore, is Louis Michel. The wines to me reflect terrific value, they are without oak and they fit my budget. You can score solid 1er Michel cuvees for around $40 or you can up the tier and do GC for around $70ish for Clos. I find the Butteaux VV, Forets and Vaudesir to all be all worth checking out. I have sat on my Clos so it’s hard to say what those are doing right now.
Same here. I’ve never even tasted the Big Two and cannot pretend to make those comparisons. But generally I’ve been very happy with most village and 1er bottles @ $35 and under from producers including several mentioned above and Bernard Defaix (very energetic, mineral-drenched Cote de Lechet). Chablis + Macon = tremendous value.
I think they actually use none at all (oak), and I think that has been the case for quite some time. (I have no idea whether or not they did way back when, though.)
I would add that if you can find a Vignoble Dampt 1er like this … EnoViti: 2011 Vignoble Dampt Les Fourneaux Premier Cru …you will find it to be a good value. Stay away from their Bourgogne or Chablis VV as they are not nearly as good. Also there is a Domaine Dampt which is not the same and I have no experience with their wines.
Tasted my first 13 tonight and it was nice with raw oysters. CT says this is less than $20. It’s hard to beat Chablis and many Italian whites at this price point.
2013 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis- France, Burgundy, Chablis (3/17/2015)
By the glass at Harry’s Seafood. A pleasant surprise. This was delicious with lots of saline, good acidity, and a mix of citrus and green apples. I will pick up a few to try again on the patio this summer.
For me, Noah, Raveneau is kind of the “D’Yquem” of Chablis, no one else quite reaches that rarefied height, though V. Dauvissat can sometimes come close. Further down, C. Moreau and J-M Brocard can offer pretty good value. I’d like to try some Piuze. I don’t trust Fevre anymore after the premox record. Louis Michel is quite good. Defaix’ Cote de Lechets is also excellent in most years. Ed note, forgot about Dampt and Servin, likes for me so far
I would say it is still open to question whether Fevre has solved their premox problem. A recent 2007 (after the installation of their anaerobic bottling line) showed premox. So far, later vintages have been good, but it remains to be seen whether they will last once their sulfur (or whatever) is outrun by the flux of oxygen into bottle.
I have little experience with Chablis as I have very few (2 Dauvissat Forest 2012, and I believe they’re the first Chablis I buy myself), but I’ve had a chance to drink some at my father’s for some time now.
He once had a bunch of Louis Michel, and I will only add to the crowd here to say that I find them very good and a great QPR. We had a 2003 Montée de Tonnerre recently and it was great, typical Chablis imo. Not tired at all, it seemed like it could go 10 more years easily.
I wanted to comment on this thread so badly, I subscribed.
I’m of the opinion that great Chablis is made in years that are poor years in Burgundy. Before global warming Chablis growers had trouble getting their grapes ripe. I prefer 2011 to 2010 or 2009 for that reason. Perhaps 2012 will be the best of the group.
I would also like to add Daniel Dampt and Servin to the list of nearly great producers.
A belated thank you to everyone for all of the advice. I find that my tastes align with many folks here, and the collective knowledge and tasting experience are profound. Glad to be part of the community. Cheers!
N
