2013 Chablis Valmur
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Tasted blind at the annual “Burgfest” tasting in Brouilland. The 2013 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur has a very composed and delineated, captivating bouquet, light honeyed tones giving away to more convincing mineral/limestone aromas. The palate does not quite deliver the same pedigree as the nose: perhaps not quite as deep or as complex as I was anticipating. However, it does deliver a very satisfying sense of energy and focus and there is appealing salinity on the aftertaste. Tasted May 2016.
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Neal Martin
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Bright pale yellow. Distinctly more exotic on the nose than the Vaudésir, offering scents of orange zest, overripe peach and honey along with a deeply pitched oak element. Rich, tactile and harmonious but a bit warm, with honey and oak flavors currently dominating in the mouth. Finishes a touch phenolic. This wine, which was made from young vines, may be going through an oxidative phase.
The 2013 Chablis Valmur takes hold of all the senses with its rich, sensual, totally enveloping personality. The pure texture and radiance of Valmur is on full display, yet the 2013 also shows remarkable grace and plenty of subtlety. A dollop of sweet spices from the oak adds complexity to the yellow stone fruits in this pretty, decidedly understated Valmur. The Valmur is made from two parcels; the oldest vines are 16 years old, while the youngest are just three years old.
The 2013 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur is more laconic than the Vaudésir, as it is inclined to be. This is sultry at first, obdurate and stony with flint and smoke aromas reluctantly developing from the glass. So far, so curmudgeonly. The palate is crisp and taut, lightly spiced, tight and backward with orange rind and a touch of pepper towards the long and sustained finish. This is Chablis through and through – uncompromising and that is part of its attraction.||Benoît Droin oversaw a strong set of 2013s that were some of the best that I tasted during my time in Chablis. "There was some millerandage because of the wind in June during flowering," he explained as we tasted down in his cellar. "This actually led to more concentration. The grapes were still very small in early September and they stayed small during that month. The harvest was before the rot. For me it is a classic vintage with good acidity. You can drink now but they will age 10 to 15 years. It's not too acid, too round. If you compare with 2010 or 2012 they are more fresh, but they are more difficult to taste young. I started on September 26 and finished October 6, mostly by machine. The Fourchcaume was already 13 degrees natural alcohol, so should I wait? You need the Chardonnay at the start of maturation, not at maturation itself. That's why I always start early." eRobertParker.com.August, 2015