2014 Chablis Montee de Tonnerre
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind at the Burgfest annual tasting, Fevre's 2014 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre has a broody and backward nose, atypically for this vintage. Maybe just too austere? The palate is well balanced with quite piercing acidity, good weight in the mouth but just missing the persistence of the Montée de Tonnerre from Jean Collet on the finish. Perhaps this is just enduring a dumb phase?
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
50% of the crop saw oak. Quite a generous nose for a 2014 Chablis. Big and bold without as much tension as some. Lots to chew on – perhaps thanks to that oaked component? (JR)
An ultra-fresh, cool and admirably pure nose features notes of shellfish, pear, mineral reduction and pungent iodine nuances. There is outstanding volume and intensity to the medium weight plus flavors that deliver beautifully focused power on the palate coating, mineral-driven and hugely persistent finale. Once again if tasted blind it would be all but impossible not to identify this as Chablis and a first-rate example at that! Régisseur Didier Séguier describes 2014 as a "completely classic vintage where we enjoyed some of the cleanest fruit that I have ever seen. We began picking on the 15th of September and continued in near perfect conditions for the next 10 days. We brought in normal yields in Petit Chablis and Chablis of around 50 to 60 hl/ha. Yields in the 1ers and grands crus however were notably lower and about the same as we realized in 2012 which is say only 25 to 35 hl/ha. This was because the better sites are generally more precocious and there was a heat spike during the flowering that provoked a lot of shatter. The alcoholic vinification was easy and straightforward though the malos were long and slow and didn't finish until May. As to the style of the vintage I would describe as a blend of 2007 and 2008 with crystal clear terroir definition. I really like the 2014 vintage and believe it should age effortlessly." I have mentioned this before but it bears repeating so readers will not be surprised: for several years now Fèvre has elected to bottle its entire range, including the grands crus, under the Diam cork. Note further that effective with the 2008 vintage the label for the Vaulorent no longer indicates Fourchaume on it; previously it said "Fourchaume - Vignoble de Vaulorent". Séguier indicated that the Fèvre 2013s, revisited below, were bottled between November 2014 and January 2015.
About the producer
Established in the late 1950s, William Fèvre was one of the leaders in Chablis’s renaissance. Today he crafts benchmark expressions of fine Chardonnay from some of the top vineyard sites in the region, working with many of the best Premier and Grand Cru vineyards.