Pale yellow-green colour. The nose is fresh with sea-shells and an undertow of ripe melon-style fruit. Reasonably fresh and certainly intense in the slightly ‘padded’ mid-palate. Despite the padding it could only come from Chablis due to the mineral core that goes through the center. Pretty good acidity and a good length. Frankly, blind you would say a decent 1er cru or even an ‘average’ grand cru, such is the concentration from those old vines. Very impressive stuff and on another planet to ‘basic’ Chablis from the likes of Fevre.
Bessin Jean-Claude
2006 Bessin Jean-Claude Chablis La Forest
Medium-pale yellow. The nose is like a deeper, slightly more comfortable ‘Montmains’ with higher tones over nicely integrated sweeter and denser notes. Just a faint whiff of SO2 now and then. Again a really impressive minerality, but this time with a little extra softness from ripe but understated fruit. Again there’s good acid balance and a super diminuendo length.
2006 Bessin Jean-Claude Chablis Fourchaume
2006 Bessin Jean-Claude Chablis La Fourchaume La Pièce au Comte
” Since 2004 Jean-Claude Bessin has separated out his best parcel of the older vines of the Fourchaume vineyard, a section of vines which used to belong to the local landlord, “le comte” – Jasper Morris. Pale yellow. High-toned. Mineral and citrus hints mix with SO2. Fuller with more padding around the mineral core, but more concentration too. The minerality builds through the mid-palate giving a ’stronger’ finish. Good acidity again. The nose remains rather ephemeral throughout.
2006 Bessin Jean-Claude Chablis Valmur
Hints of sulfur again and also hints of oak (20% barrel fermentation) provide depth. The first impression is depth and then concentration. Real density but very linear with a salty tang on the finish. It’s ripe but very tight – 25 minutes of cajoling coaxed nothing more from the glass. I would have bought some of this too, but it wasn’t on the website at the time – now I spent the cash on something else…
2006 Bessin Jean-Claude Chablis
2006 Bessin Jean-Claude Chablis Montmains
“The Montmains and Fôret used to be sold as a combined 1er cru, this is the first vintage that they are separated.” – Jasper Morris. Slightly paler colour. The nose is wider, but less obviously dense, showing higher, slightly floral elements. Good acidity, more minerality and slowly sneaks into the stony finish. This is tightly wound but super. It’s a shame to drink it now, but if I must…