2007 Chablis Montmains
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Tasting notes
In tank awaiting imminent fining and bottling, Raveneau’s 2007 Chablis Montmains displays a personality slightly split between brash citricity on the one hand and, on the other, a combination of textural waxiness and creaminess with lanolin and vanillin notes from barrel. A gentian-like floral note wafts all the way through to a finish uniting a bite of citrus rind and white pepper with chalk dust, salt, and refreshing citrus. This will need some time in bottle, but I suspect will be well worth following for at least 5-7 years. Bernard Raveneau views his bright, mineral-inflected 2007s – picked from September 10-16 – as potentially richer versions of 2004, since the former, he indicates, have gained in textural allure during their elevage. That also explains why he did not plan to bottle most of these 2007s until late spring or summer, and I have accordingly not tasted them since bottling. (Incidentally, Raveneau is very excited and intrigued by his 2008s, wines with an effusion of floral and herbal youthful aromatics that he says he has never before encountered, but whose finished results he speculated might combine aspects of 2006 and 2007.) Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 524-1524
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A beautifully expressive floral and spicy nose slides gracefully into elegant pure, chiseled and precise flavors that are angular without being hard while finishing with impeccable balance and length. This should be capable of aging extremely well yet require only 5 to 7 years to arrive at its apogee. An understated wine of finesse. *Outstanding*
(this and the following wines were still in cuve Pale green-yellow. Musky aromas of lemon, lime and minerals, lifted by a violet topnote; more precise than the Foret. Juicy and precise, offering an enticing balance of fruit sweetness, mineral energy and integrated acidity. Finishes with excellent grip.
Pale yellow. Aromas of peach and mirabelle Supple and fruity, but with lively mint and fresh herb notes and firm acidity to frame the wine and extend its finish. Acid levels in 2007 were typically around 4.5 grams per liter, about a half-gram higher than usual, notes Raveneau, who added that the Montmain was highest in acid.