Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 2017
Robert Parker
The 2017 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is also performing well, despite what was a challenging vintage for the Raveneau family's holdings in this, their emblematic premier cru. Offering up aromas of ripe Meyer lemon, green apples, white flowers and almond paste, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a broader, more powerful profile than the Butteaux but with less cut and not quite the same length on the finish.
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.
Readers looking for more on this important estate and its history are directed to my article published in the End of March issue of The Wine Advocate, which includes information previously unpublished in English.
Vinous
The 2017 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre demands coaxing from the glass, developing enticing spicy, Asian-inspired aromas amongst the typical flinty scents. The palate is fresh and vibrant with crisp acidity, very linear in style but with tension from start to finish. There is wonderful salinity in this Montée de Tonnerre with just the right amount of bitterness on the aftertaste. This brims over with potential.
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.
Robert Parker
The 2017 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is also performing well, despite what was a challenging vintage for the Raveneau family's holdings in this, their emblematic premier cru. Offering up aromas of ripe Meyer lemon, green apples, white flowers and almond paste, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a broader, more powerful profile than the Butteaux but with less cut and not quite the same length on the finish.
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.
Readers looking for more on this important estate and its history are directed to my article published in the End of March issue of The Wine Advocate, which includes information previously unpublished in English.
Vinous
The 2017 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre demands coaxing from the glass, developing enticing spicy, Asian-inspired aromas amongst the typical flinty scents. The palate is fresh and vibrant with crisp acidity, very linear in style but with tension from start to finish. There is wonderful salinity in this Montée de Tonnerre with just the right amount of bitterness on the aftertaste. This brims over with potential.
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.
Land | Frankrig |
---|---|
Producent | Domaine Raveneau |
Region | Bourgogne |
Distrikt | Chablis |
Årgang | 2017 |
Volume | 75CL |
Druer | Chardonnay |
Kategori | Hvidvin |
Kollistørrelse | 12 |
Kollitype | OCC |
Robert Parker | 93 |
---|---|
Vinous | 93-95 |