2011 Chablis Les Preuses
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Tasting notes
A gorgeously perfumed nose is airy, cool and elegant with vivid aromas of dried citrus peel, acacia blossom, oyster shell and tidal pool hints. The remarkably approachable medium-bodied flavors are ultra-fine, indeed they evidence a silky mouth feel on the harmonious and beautifully persistent bone dry finish. I suspect that this impeccably well-balanced and very understated effort will tighten up considerably once it is bottled and as such I have assigned a longer initial drinking window than my description might suggest. This is so silky that the La Forest is almost brutal by comparison. Tasted: Oct 15, 2013. Drink: 2019+
Critic scores
Average Score
Allen Meadows, Burghound
David Schildknecht, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Iris perfume and saline-sweet savor of raw scallop rise from the glass of Dauvissat 2011 Chablis Preuses, whence they join with luscious fresh lime and white peach on a subtly creamy yet refreshing, buoyant palate. Hints of chalk and fresh ginger add to the stimulation of a prodigious finish. This beauty should be worth following through at least 2020. ||Vincent Dauvissat emphasizes the positive roll of rain in September, 2012: "it permitted fruit maturation to continue, and ameliorated acidity." The most vexing parts of the vintage, as he perceives it, were frost and mildew, and he has the low yields to show for the battle with them. Poor flowering, he acknowledges, had its positive sides in engendering loose, rot-resistant clusters and helping to insure that even in those vineyards not frosted, the crop was able to thoroughly ripen. Dauvissat was quick to point out that when it came to his two grand crus, 2011 represented another short crop, because those sites bloomed during a period of perturbing weather; whereas conditions turned favorable in the week that followed, in time for flowering in his premier cru and village-level sites. Harvest dates here were pretty typical: the first half of September in 2011, and the last week of September and first few days of October in 2012. Finished alcohols in 2012 range from 12.5%-13%; and a half a degree lower in 2011. Like me, Vincent Dauvissat thinks that many observers are misled by the youthfully generous and lightweight character of the 2011s into a false belief that they won't be worth cellaring. (That being noted, I hasten to add - chastised by prematurely oxidized bottles, including even a few from his hand - that my notion of felicitous aging involves a shorter temporal horizon than his.) Wine Advocate.August, 2013
Surprisingly, the 2011 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses is somewhat more supple and open-knit than the corresponding La Forest, offering up pretty aromas of orange blossom, citrus zest, oystershell, iodine and pastry cream. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, elegantly glossy and delicate, with a tangy, saline profile and a detailed finish. This is a precocious Preuses that's already approachable. Aug 2018, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Domaine Rene & Vincent Dauvissat is one of the finest Chablis estates, on a par with Domaine Raveneau as the top two wine addresses in the region. The domaine has a long history of producing wines of great complexity, consistency and fantastic ageing capability.