Tasted with Isabelle Raveneau, pictured with cousin Maxime, in Chablis, 10 January 2023.
Domaine François Raveneau
9 rue de Chichée
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 (0)3 86 42 17 46
More reports with Domaine François Raveneau.
Isabelle on 2022:
“We are happy – we had nice clean grapes – starting our harvest after the rain, 1st September – not a high volume but good – sugar and acidity looked good – we’d have taken more volume but remain happy. We were also touched by some frost – the same time as in 21 but the vines were less advanced – there was no really significant impact – it was more the lack of water during the summer that had some impact.”
Isabelle on 2021:
“Almost the reverse! Big damage from the frost – more damage in the left bank than the right – enormous damage there. Cool and wet for most of the early growing season then the maladies began to grow – so altogether for us was about 2/3rds losses – it was very heterogenous though – but the wines are very open and bring much more joy than the growing season did! We are close to the end of the elevage, planning to rack and assemble from the end of February and with bottling April–May – for everything – Petit Chablis included.”
The wines…
What a range – more austere – a ‘cut from stone’ style this year. Probably just the stage in elevage as none were bottled. But WOW wines in 2021!
Hmm – a very pretty vibration of mineral energy with an accent, an echo, of yellow citrus. Hmm – direct, almost incisive. I like the texture and this intensity of flavour is growing impressively – not so Petit – a top PC but for a little more patience than many!
That’s nice an vibrant, very slightly apricot. Bigger in all directions – incisive again the apricot in the citrus – intense again – and always very silky. Its another wine with obvious concentration, but also fresh intensity too. Fine minerality. Great villages – like almost every year!
Also such a vibrant nose, almost a little noble reduction too. More direct – really intense – to the extent that here’s a little austerity to be patient with – but it’s Forets and it’s so clean and pure, so mineral. Wow! More floral finishing notes too.
2021 Chablis 1er Montmains
One of the lowest yields in 2021 – ‘much less than half…’
There’s a bit of a family nose going on with these wines – that ‘almost’ reductive minerality – it’s very inviting. Incisive like the last but the impression of the flavour is of more width than the Forets. Fine finishing. It’s a range here that will repay your patience – but the sinuous muscle and super clarity are the starting point for all the wines.
A little easier, slightly more floral notes from this wine. Also slightly more generous – more width again. Intense and pure. That’s just a downright great wine.
Another more rounded nose – slightly creamy in this case. Such a mouthful of energy – clean, almost architectural in style and so, so, so moreish. Very different but just as great and a little less austere than often at this address.
Largest cuvée of the estate almost 3 ha – ‘Versus some areas, we suffered a bit less from the frost here’.
Back to the slightly reductive minerality style of the earlier wines. This is direct, architecturally structured wine – very open – almost fluid. That’s one of the best MdT I’ve tasted here – it’s usually a step back after the Butteaux – for my taste – but not in 2021 – bravo!
‘From the top of the plot, more sunny, more expressive and classic each year.’
The mineral reduction with a bit more intensity here. Wow minerality – broad and incisive style – no prisoners! Yet with clarity of delivery, even a hint of aniseed in the finishing complexity. A wine that’s been cut from the (lime)stone – wow – you should be patient with this one!
Old vines planted today an 85 cm spacing – ‘Too small for our tractors so we are using a horse to plough here.’
Here’s a little more cushioning to the aromas – easier to assimilate today. Not in the mouth though – properly structured to the extent that it’s borderline a little austere. Super mineral again and then hugging a long, focused, beam of finishing flavour. Great, great finishing.
2021 Chablis Les Clos
The aromatic minerality of many here, the corners, the edges, softened with a little creamy oak – at the centre are the florals too. A more supple wine but not a less mineral one – the structure is less overt – the complexity less finely divided today but obviously present. Great finishing – full of complexity here. A wine that I would have a lot of patience with – not for the same reasons (the structure) as the previous ones, rather because I’d be waiting for the individual complexities to come more into focus and the slight oak padding to fade.