View analysis



Description
Tasting notes

Reviewed by: Pierre Rovani
Cool and precise, the 2004 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur is a youthful classic, offering up pretty much everything one could want in a 13-year-old Valmur. Opening in the decanter with a nose of green apple, iodine, oyster shell and a touch of smoky reduction, on the palate the wine is full-bodied, three-dimensional and rock solid at the core, with excellent concentration and cut and a long, penetrating finish.
About the Producer
Domaine Raveneau is Chablis's finest producer. Jean Raveneau has 7 hectares of vines and produces beautifully crafted wines from three Grands Crus (Blanchot, les Clos and Valmur and four Premiers Crus (Montée de Tonnerres, les Vaillons, Butteaux and Chapelot) All the grapes are hand harvested (one of the very few remaining growers in Chablis to do so) and Jean Marie prefers to pick early rather than late, with the aim of preserving the grapes' acidities. The grapes are fermented in stainless steel vats and the wine are then aged in large oak feuilletes (the barrels have an average age of 7-8 years) for 18 months. Very low yields allied to meticulous wine making techniques are what make these wines so highly prized. They are renowned for their pure, racy minerality and rich, honeyed fruit, as well as for their ageworthiness - it would be a pity not to let them have the five to ten years in the cellar that they need to reach their sublime best.