Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Clos 2017

Robert Parker 
Raveneau's 2017 Chablis Grand Cru Clos is also immensely impressive, offering up aromas of citrus oil and preserved lemons, orange rind, yellow orchard fruit, almond paste and fresh pastry that are very subtly inflected by a light touch of oak spice. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with immense concentration, a broad-shouldered, textural profile and a long, powerful finish. In a blind tasting, this is the one wine in the portfolio that might almost pass for a grand cru from the Côte de Beaune; and in that sense, Chablis purists might be tempted to express a preference for the Valmur this year, but there is no denying that this is an extremely compelling Les Clos.

In last year's Chablis report, I wondered aloud how one explains the Raveneau magic? Yields here aren't excessively high, but they're not the region's lowest. Fermentation at between 18 degrees and 20 degrees centigrade in tank, followed by élevage in used barrels define the very elementary outlines of the winemaking process—a description that would equally apply to Vincent Dauvissat's stylistically different wines. The devil, presumably, is in the details. This year's visit with Bernard Raveneau, with whom I passed a fascinating two hours, revealed a new piece of the puzzle. When I inquired about the importance of lees during the wine's time in wood, Raveneau's response was memorable: "I've never understood why we change babies, whereas we leave a wine in its excrement!" Clearly, therefore, the Raveneau wines go to barrel after their fermentation in tank with very little in the way of solids, and perhaps this provides a point of distinction—in addition, of course, to different approaches in the vineyards—with Vincent Dauvissat's more reductive wines. In any case, as I wrote last year, I'm content to ponder the domaine's mysteries for the foreseeable future, as the Domaine Raveneau is undoubtedly the source of some of Chablis's greatest wines—and its most dependably long-lived. The 2017s, which were bottled during my two weeks in Chablis, increasingly resemble the domaine's 2010s, though they're a touch more extroverted and expressive in style. While acknowledging that "people will fixate on the Clos and Montée de Tonnerre," I suspect Raveneau may have shared my preference for the Butteaux and Valmur over their more famous siblings in this year's collection. Tasted from barrel, where they had only just begun their élevage, the 2018s—which represent the first copious yield chez Raveneau for several years—were already quite put-together, supple and incipiently delicious. It doesn't appear to be a vintage built for the long haul, but it will deliver immense near- and medium-term pleasure, as well as what appears to be, at this early stage, a more classically Chablisien profile.

Vinous
The 2017 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru is a wine of exquisite elegance. Sweet floral notes, mint, jasmine, white pepper, crushed rocks, lime and white flowers infuse the 2017 with striking inner sweetness and perfume. This sensual and exhilarating wine is very expressive and pretty. Silky, pure, and light on its feet, the 2017 is classic Clos. I loved it.

Domaine Raveneau er på mange måder ”kongen af Chablis”. Vinhuset er i dag en af de absolut mest berømte producenter i Chablis, og Raveneau er samtidig en af de ganske få producenter, der producerer vin i alle Chablis’ fire klassifikationer: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru og Grand Cru. Domaine Raveneau producerer i dag tre Grand Cru- og fem Premier Cru-vine. Disse vine er yderst eftertragtede og eksklusive, grundet en lille produktion på omkring 50.000 flasker årligt, og en stor efterspørgsel.

Vinene fra Domaine Raveneau har en formidabel evne til at fange essensen af Chablis’ karakteristiske terroir, og de er berømte for deres lange levetid, faktisk mener mange, at de ikke når toppen af deres potentiale, før de er mindst otte til ti år gamle.   

Vinhuset blevet stiftet i 1948, da Francois Raveneau kombinerede vinmarker han selv havde købt med vinmarker ejet af sin kones familie. Francois far: Louis Raveneau, ejede flere parceller i Chablis, men solgte dem i løbet af 1950’erne. Chablis befandt sig nemlig på dette tidspunkt i en hård tid. Produktionen havde været kraftigt forstyrret under 2. verdenskrig, hvilket påvirkede producenternes likviditet, og desuden var området plaget af vinlus i denne periode. Francois Raveneau så dog stadig Chablis’ store potentiale og udnyttede faldende jordpriser til at udvide sit domæne løbende op gennem 1960’erne og 1970’erne - bl.a. med vigtige parceller på nogle af Chablis’ fine Grand Cru-vinmarker. En beslutning der i den grad har båret frugt i dag.

I dag er vinhuset stadig i Raveneau-familiens besiddelse. Med et stærkt team bestående af Jean-Marie og Bernard Raveneau i spidsen og vinmagerne Isabelle Raveneau, som er datter af Bernard, og Maxime Raveneau, søn af Jean-Marie.