2010 Chablis

All the elements are in the right place in the 2010 Chablis. A hint of petrol on the bouquet leads to yellow stone fruits, graphite and light floral honey as this expressive, resonant Chablis fleshes out in the glass. The 2010 is a great choice for drinking over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. Guillaume Gicqueau-Michel describes 2011 as a synthesis of 2009 and 2010, with the fleshiness of the former and the tension of the latter. Yields came in around historical averages, as opposed to 2010, which was down 20% across the board. The 2011s were born with considerable flesh, and were therefore spent less time on their lees than normal, with the exception of the grand crus. I tasted all of the 2011s from tank. Michel planned to bottle his 2011 premier crus in October 2012 and the grand crus the following spring. By comparison the 2010s saw extremely long fermentations, partly because of the estate’s reliance on natural yeasts. Like all growers in Chablis in this vintage, Michel described the vintage as significantly influenced by a complicated flowering that lowered yields and produced a high incidence of shatter and shot grapes. The 2010 grand crus were bottled in mid-April 2012. I was surprised by how well the wines are drinking today. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

Scented and fresh and very direct. Just a tad skinny on the end. (JR)

Vineyard parcels from the left bank. Fermentation took about 6 weeks. A few months on fine lees in tank. Slightly oily/mineral and lemon nose. Steely. Very crisp but the fruit is rich in depth if not in flavour. More of a texture than a flavour. Citrus tension on the finish. Very slight creaminess. (JH)