2015 Domaine William Fèvre - Chablis Premier Cru Vaulorent (93 pts)

ℹ️ This wine is 💯 Chardonnay from the Chablis region of France. Vaulorent is a Premier Cru vineyard on the right side of the Serein River. This climat is almost an extension of the same slope of Grand Cru climats. The vines are planted on chalky clay, marl, and limestone from the Kimmeridgian era. The soil is rich in minerals and oyster fossils. Grapes are hand-harvested and gently pressed. The wine completely goes through malolactic fermentation. The must is half transferred to neutral (~6 years old) French oak barrels for six months, and the other half is transferred to small stainless steel. Altogether, the wine is aged for 14 months before being released.

👃 Medium intensity on the nose. Aromas of grapefruit pith, smoke, flinty, yellow apple, Asian pear, white peach, lemon curd, salted butter, and acacia.

👄 The wine is dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol (13%), and medium+ body. Overall, more expressive on the palate and a great weight. A medium+ length finish of ripe orchard fruit, smoke, and flint.

🔔 The 2015 Vaulorent is officially my second favorite Premier Cru in Chablis right after Montee de Tonnerre. Both climats are Grand Cru quality in the right producers' hands, but more affordable due to not having the designation that was decided on in 1938. This wine is in a great spot right with a beautiful balance between lovely orchard fruit and reductive mineral notes. It has a great weight on the palate and lovely wet rock texture, keeping it fresh in a lower acid year. Huge fan of this wine, very well done and will improve with further cellaring.

 2015 Domaine William Fèvre - Chablis Premier Cru Vaulorent

2017 Louis Michel & Fils - Chablis Premier Cru Montmain (90 pts)

ℹ️ This wine is 💯 Chardonnay from the Chablis region of France. Montmain is a Premier Cru vineyard on the left bank of the Serein River. The vines grow on Kimmeridgian soils of hard limestone in clay. The soils are rich in minerals and oyster fossil shells. The fermentation is long and only using indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled vats. The wine spontaneously goes through malolactic fermentation. The wine is matured in stainless steel tanks for 12 to 16 months.

👃 Medium intensity on the nose. Aromas of Meyer lemon, grapefruit pith, pear, green apple, cream, salted butter, acacia, and lilies.

👄 The wine is dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol (13%), and medium body. The palate has a creamy texture. The finish is medium length with notes of citrus pith, white pepper, and oyster liquor.

🔔 Louis Michel & Fils Montmain is a reliable benchmark of Chablis Premier Cru wine. The nose has an excellent combination of citrus, green fruit, and florals. The palate is a tad more interesting with a creamy texture and a subtle salty and peppery spice. These carry through on the finish. Always a substantial value.

 2017 Louis Michel & Fils - Chablis Premier Cru Montmain (90

Domaine William Fèvre Interview and Virtual Tasting with Didier Séguier

🎙 Join my Instagram Live interview with Didier Séguier winemaker at Domaine William Fèvre in Chablis, on July 20th at 9:00 am PST / 6:00 pm France. Domaine William Fèvre is the largest vineyard owner of Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards in Chablis. We are going to talk about sustainable and Biodynamic Viticulture. Then discuss the nuances between different Premier Crus and Grand Crus. We will also talk about the use of 💯 neutral oak aging on the wines·

🍷 Didier explained to me, he doesn't make Chardonnay, but he does make Chablis. We will be tasting three wines from the 2015 vintage: Premier Cru Vaulorent, Premier Cru Montmains, and Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots. Please join our Instagram Live and participate in the conversation. Don't forget to click the reminder in the stories·

 Domaine William Fèvre Interview and Virtual Tasting with

Albert Bichot Virtual Tasting and Interview with Matthieu Mangenot

🎙 Join my Instagram Live interview with Matthieu Mangenot, the Assistant Technical Director at Domaines Albert Bichot, on Thursday, April 1st, at 9:00 am PST / 6:00 pm CET. Matthieu and I will discuss the history of Albert Bichot, which was founded in 1831. We will be discussing the Terroir of Chablis through the lens of Domaine Long-Depaquit. The history of their monopole "Moutonne" in Chablis Grand Cru. Then we will go to the Côte de Beaune and discuss the village of Pommard. Clos des Ursulines is a monopole lieu-dit of Domaine du Pavillon on the southern end of the village bordering Volnay. We will discuss how Volnay and Pommard can be so close in proximity, yet the wines are so different.

🍷 We will taste 2018 Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaillons, 2015 Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis Grand Cru Moutonne, and 2018 Domaine du Pavillon Pommard Clos des Ursulines. Please join our Instagram Live and participate in the conversation. Don't forget to click the reminder in the stories.

 Albert Bichot Virtual Tasting and Interview with Matthieu

Maison Joseph Drouhin  and Domaine Drouhin Oregon Virtual Tasting and Interview with Véronique Drouhin·

🎙 Join my Instagram Live interview with Véronique Drouhin, Head Winemaker across Maison Joseph Drouhin

 , on Wednesday, June 17th, at 9:00 am PST·

🇫🇷 Véronique will talk about the difference between Domaine wines and Maison wines. The estate owns 80 hectares of vineyards that are all farmed Biodynamically. We will talk about Drouhin-Vaudon in Chablis, Gevrey Chambertin, and the flagship wines of Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches·

🇺🇸 Véronique will talk about the reason the family expanded into Oregon and, more specifically, the Dundee Hills. She will also cover the new expansion in Eola-Amity Hills with the Roserock brand. Lastly, we will discuss how Oregon can expedite finding its equivalent of Premier Cru and Grand Cru sites·

🍷 We will taste a selection from Burgundy and Oregon. Please join our Instagram Live and participate in the conversation. Don't forget to click the reminder in the stories·

 Maison Joseph Drouhin  and Domaine Drouhin Oregon Virtual

Head to head 2012 Chablis flight. The Louis Michel went great with food, but Les Clos from Dampt solidly stood on its own. The 1996 Defaix was a bit tired but interesting to drink.

 Head to head 2012 Chablis flight. The Louis Michel went

Louis Michel & Fils Virtual Tasting and Interview with Guillaume Michel·

🎙 Join my Instagram Live interview with Winemaker and Owner, Guillaume Michel

 from the Chablis region of France, on Friday, June 12th, at 9:00 am PST. Guillaume and I will discuss the Terroir of Chablis and the diversity inside the appellation. We will talk about the move to stainless steel tanks to preserve the purity and freshness of their Chardonnay grapes·

🍷 We will discuss the four appellations of Chablis Grand Cru, Chablis Premier Cru, Chablis, and Petit Chablis. We will taste a few examples as well. Please join our Instagram Live and participate in the conversation. Don't forget to click the reminder in the stories·

 Louis Michel & Fils Virtual Tasting and Interview with

interview with Matthieu Mangenot, the Assistant Technical Director at Domaines Albert Bichot.

Matthieu and I discussed the history of Albert Bichot, which was founded in 1831. We discussed the Terroir of Chablis through the lens of Domaine Long-Depaquit. The history of their monopole "Moutonne" in Chablis Grand Cru. Then we went to the Côte de Beaune and discuss the village of Pommard. Clos des Ursulines is a monopole lieu-dit of Domaine du Pavillon on the southern end of the village bordering Volnay.

🍷 We tasted 2018 Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaillons, 2015 Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis Grand Cru Moutonne, and 2018 Domaine du Pavillon Pommard Clos des Ursulines. Special thank you to Matthieu Mangenot for answering all of my questions and the e tire team at Domaines Albert Bichot.

 interview with Matthieu Mangenot, the Assistant Technical

2015 Domaine William Fèvre - Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots (93 pts)

ℹ️ This wine is 💯 Chardonnay from the Chablis region of France. Bougros is a climat in the single Chablis Grand Cru appellation. Côte Bouguerots is a sub-climat that has a steep slope with a  greater than 30% gradient that is facing due south and nearest to the Serein River. The vines are planted on chalky clay, marl, and limestone from the Kimmeridgian era. Grapes are hand-harvested and gently pressed. The wine completely goes through malolactic fermentation. Half of the must is transferred to neutral (~6 years old) French oak barrels for 6 months, and the other half is transferred to small stainless steel vats. Altogether, the wine is aged for 15 months before being released.

👃 Medium+ intensity on the nose. Aromas of lemon pith, ripe Asian pear, Meyer lemon, underripe white peach, acacia, dandelion, candle wax, seafoam, and Greek yogurt.

👄 The wine is dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), and medium+ body. The palate is quite weighty and showing a bit of dried herb spice that wasn't on the nose. A long length finish of citrus, fresh flowers, and seafoam.

🔔 The 2015 Côte Bouguerots is a stunning revelation that feels like it is on par with Les Clos in the Fèvre lineup. After tasting several cuvées from Fèvre's 2015 vintage, this is maturing much slower than the Premier Crus and still needs time to unfurl. Côte Bouguerots is still very primary and fruit-driven at the moment, but it does show the structure, concentration, and length of Grand Cru pedigree. In a few years, this is going to be substantially better, and it will be worth the wait. In the meantime, enjoy some lovely Premier Cru wines. 🤔

 2015 Domaine William Fèvre - Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte

2002 La Chablisienne - Chablis Premier Cru Grand Cuvee (87 pts)

- Medium+ gold color. Medium intensity on the nose. Aromas of baked apple, baked quince, orange marmalade, caramel, lees, lemon curd, oak, and rock. The wine is dry, medium+ acidity not subdued with age, medium alcohol, and medium+ body that was surprisingly weighty. The palate matched the nose with a battle between the acid and viscosity of the wine. Medium length finish with a chalky flavor lingering. This wine is a bit past its prime. Still good to drink, but definitely on the decline.

 2002 La Chablisienne - Chablis Premier Cru Grand Cuvee (87

2009 Domaine François Raveneau - Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons (94 pts)

ℹ️ This wine is 💯 Chardonnay from the Vaillons climat of the Chablis Premier Cru appellation in Burgundy, France. Grapes are hand-harvested, gently pressed, and then fermented in vats. The wine is transferred to barrel for malolactic fermentation. Then the wine is aged in older oak barrels for 18 months, and there is a tiny percentage of new oak.

👃 Medium+ intensity on the nose. Aromas of lemon pith, citrus oil, yuzu, yellow apple, nectarine, flint, peat, salted butter, oyster brine, acacia, and dandelions.

👄 The wine is dry, high electric acidity, medium alcohol (13%), and medium body. A bit more weight and ripe fruit upon entry, but the acidity and overall texture quickly cut through. A long length finish of lemon pith, dried flowers, brine, and flint.

🔔 Raveneau is the benchmark of Chablis for a reason. This wine is concentrated but delicate at the same time. The acidity drives this wine from start to finish but takes your tongue on a journey from ripe fruit to florals to savory, earthy notes. 2009 Vaillons is just starting to enter its drinking window, quickly shedding some reduction with a healthy amount of air. For a 2009 vintage, it showed a touch leaner than I was expecting. Overall, a stellar wine on any account. 🤩

 2009 Domaine François Raveneau - Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

2016 Domaine Vincent Dauvissat - Chablis (91 pts)

ℹ️ This wine is 💯Chardonnay from the Chablis wine region of France. The 2016 vintage was quite tumultuous in Chablis. Producers were plagued by frost, mildew, hail, and a heatwave, resulting in a crop loss of 50% for some.

👃 Pronounced intensity on the nose. Aromas of ripe white peach, pear, nectarine, Meyer lemon, orange blossom, grapefruit pith, salted nut, and steely.

👄 The wine is dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol (13%), and medium+ body. Broad and creamy on the palate. A medium length finish of ripe orchard fruit and citrus fruit with a lingering saltiness.

🔔 This wine is the village level Chablis from Dauvissat, and any time I see Dauvissat on the label, I have high expectations. This wine is delicious with loads of ripe fruit that are clean and pure. The wine is more full-bodied and round than I expected. Overall, a solid wine, but I prefer to pay the extra money for the Premier Cru and Grand Cru lieux-dits. At this price point, I think there are more complex alternatives for Chardonnay.

 2016 Domaine Vincent Dauvissat - Chablis (91 pts) ℹ️ This

2015 Domaine William Fèvre - Chablis Premier Cru Montmains (92 pts)

ℹ️ This wine is 💯 Chardonnay from the Chablis region of France. Montmains is a Premier Cru vineyard on the left side of the Serein River. The vines are planted on chalky clay, marl, and limestone from the Kimmeridgian era. The soil is rich in minerals and oyster fossil shells. Montmains is a flag-bearing vineyard designate, so while this bottle states Montmains, it is a blend of Montmains, Butteaux, and Forêts parcels. Grapes are hand-harvested and gently pressed. The wine completely goes through malolactic fermentation. The must is half transferred to neutral (~6 years old) French oak barrels for six months, and the other half is transferred to small stainless steel. All together the wine is aged for 14 months before being released·

👃 Medium intensity on the nose. Aromas of grapefruit pith, lemon zest, green apple, pear, Greek yogurt, sea breeze, oyster brine, and acacia·

👄 The wine is dry, medium+ acidity, medium alcohol (13%), and medium body. The wine has good texture on the palate almost powdery. A medium+ length finish of oyster brine, citrus pith, and zest·

🔔 The 2015 Montmains is a bit fuller due to the warmer vintage. Always a classic bottling for Domaine William Fèvre. This wine is very mineral, subtle, and nuanced. For people looking for more expressive bottlings, they should look for Vauleront and Montee de Tonnerre. The 2015 Montmains is in a great spot right now and should stay here for quite some time.

 2015 Domaine William Fèvre - Chablis Premier Cru Montmains

2009 Domaine François Raveneau - Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre (96 pts)

ℹ️ Montée de Tonnerre is translated as "Thunder Mountain", but is really named for an old incline road that leads to the town of Tonnerre. Incidentally it does get the brunt of hailstorms in some vinatges (like 2010). Largely considered to be the best Chablis 1er Cru vienyard, as the site is on the right hand side of the Serein River adjacent to all Grand Cru vineyards. The site is one of the warmest, rarely has issues ripening, and is often compared to the adjacent Blanchot Grand Cru vineyard. This is the Domaine's largest holding at 2.51 ha. An average vine age of 50 years planted on Kimmeridgian Limestone soil ·

👃 Medium intensity on the nose. Aromas of acacia, white flowers, salted butter, Meyer lemon, quince, wet rock, chalk, wax, and seafood stock ·

👄 The wine is dry, high acidity, medium alcohol, and medium body. Amazing creamy texture to the wine. Lemon, Buddha's hand, quince, acacia, white flowers, and wax. Salted butter, seashells, and chalk on the long layered finish ·

🔔 Everything that is right in the wine world is demonstrated by this wine. Subtlety meets Complexity. Balanced, texturally divine, and layers of mineral flavors. This wine is phenomenal and it is in a perfect drinking window that should stay there for many years to come. Amazing! ·

 2009 Domaine François Raveneau - Chablis 1er Cru Montée de

2001 Domaine Raveneau - Les Clos - A good way to start off the Gala Dinner at La Paulee.

 2001 Domaine Raveneau - Les Clos - A good way to start off

_chablis - Vaulorent Chablis 1er Cru - vertical tasting notes. Listed in order of preference. The 2009 is drinking really well. Ripe fruit, great acidity, and solid finish. The 2008 was still super tight. It was lean and linear, this wine still needs some time. 2012 still showing tons of primary fruit. There is a sweetness (meaning ripeness) to the fruit that coats the palate. ❤️ the smokey, flinty, wet stone flavors across the wines. Who needs oak??? Not these wines!  There is Chardonnay and then there is Chablis!

 2009, 2008, & 2012 Domaine William Fevre @williamfevre

𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐮 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔, 2012

Dom. Francois Raveneau, arguably the most celebrated estate of Chablis, was establish in 1948. After WWII, the economy in Chablis was in bad condition and the region was hit by phylloxera, so many wineries sold off parcels. Francois saw the potential and secured himself af few parcels here and the on some of the best 1er and Grand Crus in Chablis (approx. 9he in total)

The exceptional Raveneaus are a combination of the greatest holdings, low yield and quality consistency.

Francois passed away in 1995, and today, François’ sons, Bernard and Jean-Marie, direct the domaine with their father’s philosophy in both the vineyards and the cellar.

* The pressed juice is left to settle, and then racked off its lees into cuve to ferment.

* Elevation: 18 months in older oak barrel and feuillette (a local barrel size holding 114-132 liters)

Extremely clean expression of Chardonnay!

Expressive aromas of ripe pear, yellow apple, dandelion, mild soured cream, lemon curd, freshly cut Meyer lemon, white flowers, flint, seashell and a slightly waxy touch.

The palate is medium-bodied with great acidity. Crispy and milky at the same time. Peach, baked apple, lemon zest and juice, almond and “unsalted parmesan”. Long finish with huge minerality - salt and chalky.

 ⭐️92/100⭐️ 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐮 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔, 2012 📍Chablis

Yellow apple, pear and lemon meld with a flinty mineral core, fresh acidity highlights pink grapefruit on the dry, mineral driven finish. Elegant and svelte, excellent on its own or as a companion to a wide variety of dishes.