WTN Blah Chablis

John,
'03 was a fat year but given the style of Chablis I have found a couple of rather enjoyable wines for early consumption. As a matter of fact I drank my last '03 Chablis this Saturday. They are not typical, many may not be that good and all are not worth aging.

Pay no attention to Joe. He has a defective wine gene that only allows him to enjoy old Tempranillo and well made Macabeo wines.

Walt

Speaking of low-cost Chablis, the great state of Pennsylvania has the Simonnet-Febvre 2004 Chablis and Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu on Chairman's Selection sale. All I know about them is that Simonnet-Febvre is now owned by Louis Latour. What can anyone tell me about these? Given the prices ($12 and $20 respectively) I'll probably try them both, but some general information would be helpful Thanks.

outstanding.

They are essentailly owned by Latour, but are run pretty much independently. Latour bought a 90% stake a few years back, but Laurent Simmonet still runs it and essentially nothing has changed. Mont de Milieu is IMO their best premier cru, and possibly the best example of the vineyard.

I think that the reason they are not more popular is because few of their wines are domaine, and they largely handle only the elvage not the winemaking. This isnt too much worry about because, for instance, in the case of les Preuses, the wine is pretty much made by a "very well-known producer" and to taste it you have to walk about five blocks from the domaine, along side another barrel of les Preuses that is bottled under the anonymous domaine's name.

They also make both Champagne and Cremant de Bourgogne (sparkling Burgundy from Chablis vineyards), and they are awesome to taste side by side. Nothing is better than Chardonnay to show the difference that soil can have on a wine.

In other words, at those prices, back up the truck. You'll be pleased.

[David M. Bueker]

Nothing is better than Chardonnay to show the difference that soil can have on a wine.

We're not going to start that debate again, are we?

Nothing is better than Chardonnay to show the difference that soil can have on a wine.

We're not going to start that debate again, are we?

No the only conclusion reached in this series of well written threads is the FACT that Mr. Perry lacks a modicum of taste in Chardonnay or Riesling.
Now I wouldn't want to say I told you so but I pointed this out early in the discussion.

Many thanks, I'll definitely check these out. Is the Mont de Milieu a domaine wine?

The state has the Cremant de Bourgogne somewhere, though I didn't see it at the state store I was at. I'll try to get them to order it.

Steve - Yes. The only vineyards SF owns are les Preuses, Mont de Milieu, Chablis and then vineyards that used to be classified as Chablis AC but were demoted to Bourgogne, which is why they now use them for the Cremant de Bourgogne. I should note that I hold this domaine in higher esteem than some others, but base my opinions on extensive tastings. Mont de Milieu is a vineyard whose acidity should hit the palate in all parts, less a precise, piercing acidity (like Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons). I also thank you because I currently reside in PA, and at that prices, I'll probably buy a couple of cases despite my misgivings about the PLCB storage. I don't necessarily think that the Cremant is exceptional in quality though very good, but when you taste it beside Champagne the difference is ridiculous. Champagne is Cretaceous chalk; Chablis is late Jurrasic Kimmeridgian clay-chalk mixture. You will first smell and then taste the difference which is amazingly instructive.

Lou - you really nailed that one. It's like we reinvented the wheel, rather than just realizing that squares don't roll as you told us at the beginning...

Alan,

Thanks again for your help. I don't think these have been in PLCB stores for long, so any storage issues there are short-term. I do worry a little about how wines come to be Chairman's Selections, though. It's possible that they were dumped due to problems earlier in the supply chain, and that heat damage could have occurred there.

It will be interesting to compare the Cremant to Champagne (if I can acquire some of the former). And the $14 price for a very good sparkler is appealing.

The fact that I could sit a relative novice down in front of a Chevalier-Montrachet, Montrachet and Batard-Montrachet, tell them what to look for and have them correctly pick out the vineyards virtually every time is evidence to that (yes I have done that, with my ex-girlfriend).

Uhh, Alan? Is that why she is your EX-girlfriend???

Just bumping this back up into consciousness again because I don't think Joe Perry has been abused, insulted and reviled enough yet.

In the Food Lover's corner I posted my wonderful experiences with a 2002 V. Dauvissat Chablis Les Preuses as the single wine with our spectacular meal at Pierre Gagnaire. It was remarkable in its depth and complexity, and merged admirably with the springtime theme of our meal. Crisp and mineral when it needed to be, deep and smoky when that was called for, straightforward and direct, then subtle and nuanced. I think even Perry would have been forced to admit it was an exceptional wine. And it was just a baby.

One of the best wines I've ever enjoyed from Burgundy is a Dauvissat 1990 Chablis. It put the Batard-Montrachet 1995 served the course prior into the humble corner. Sheer transparent purity of flavor.

In the Food Lover's corner I posted my wonderful experiences with a 2002 V. Dauvissat Chablis Les Preuses as the single wine with our spectacular meal at Pierre Gagnaire. It was remarkable in its depth and complexity, and merged admirably with the springtime theme of our meal. Crisp and mineral when it needed to be, deep and smoky when that was called for, straightforward and direct, then subtle and nuanced.

Sounds great. And this was on your recent trip to Paris? Sounds much better and more open than the 2002 Dauvissat Forest we had a few weeks ago that really was not in the mood to be drunk (not that its mood stopped us or anything)

Just bumping this back up into consciousness again because I don't think Joe Perry has been abused, insulted and reviled enough yet.

Hey, I look forward to tasting one of the infinite* number of Chablis that will age forever effortlessly.

I might even read Alan's book when it comes out... is it a pop-up?

Best,
Joe

p.s. If I named them all, this thread would become boring.

Not fifty years, but the 1985 Raveneau Chablic PC that Lou graced us with last night at dinner was holding up pretty damned well: pungent preserved lemon peel on the nose, rich and round in the middle, and slightly fruit-spicy on the palate, it went well with the food and held up handily through the first three courses. A trace of aldehyde was the only betrayal of age.

Tell me you'd expect the LD you were touting to do that well twenty odd years on, Joe?

Tell me you'd expect the LD you were touting to do that well twenty odd years on, Joe?

Well, it was a 1994, so it didn't have far to go and seemed to be packed a ready for the journey.

The poor 2000 Raveneau "Vaillons" we drank beside it had a rather large black eye by the end of the evening.

Best,
Joe

Tell me you'd expect the LD you were touting to do that well twenty odd years on, Joe?

Buy a bottle, it's the current release. If you don't like it I'll send you something.

Of course a 2000 Raveneua Vaillons probably won't show much any expression for another 10 to 20 years, but we'll ignore that and judge it now instead...

[David M. Bueker]

Of course a 2000 Raveneua Vaillons probably won't show much any expression for another 10 to 20 years, but we'll ignore that and judge it now instead...

And the Chablis "beatdown" continues.

2002 Verget Montee de Tonnere tomorrow night.

Of course a 2000 Raveneua Vaillons probably won't show much any expression for another 10 to 20 years, but we'll ignore that and judge it now instead...

Alan, I think great wine needs no excuses.

It may take time for a great wine to come around, but while young it should still drink like a great wine that simply needs more time. Take Barolo for example. I love the stuff. The best are bruising while young, but you can still detect all the elements of excellence.

Best,
Joe

Of course a 2000 Raveneua Vaillons probably won't show much any expression for another 10 to 20 years, but we'll ignore that and judge it now instead...

Alan, I think great wine needs no excuses.

It may take time for a great wine to come around, but while young it should still drink like a great wine that simply needs more time. Take Barolo for example. I love the stuff. The best are bruising while young, but you can still detect all the elements of excellence.

Best,
Joe

Well, you should save yourself time and money, Joe, and just eat the grapes off the vine then.

[James Roscoe]

Well, you should save yourself time and money, Joe, and just eat the grapes off the vine then.

Hoke, it's only been a few years since young Mr. Perry was doing just that.

Could someone explain why all the fuss over poor Chablis? Just drink the darn stuff!

Alan, I think great wine needs no excuses.

It may take time for a great wine to come around, but while young it should still drink like a great wine that simply needs more time. Take Barolo for example. I love the stuff. The best are bruising while young, but you can still detect all the elements of excellence.

Yes, but can someone who doesn't like/understand Barolo detect those elements of excellence? Perhaps they would find it harsh and void of charm.

Which is the same thing that happened when you found no merits in the young Raveneau while Alan detected all the elements of excellence.

Agree with Rahsaan, I have a couple of winegeek friends who find no charm or excellence in almost any Barolo.

Which is the same thing that happened when you found no merits in the young Raveneau while Alan detected all the elements of excellence.

Totally different because the wine in question is Chablis.

Totally different because the wine in question is Chablis.

Ah yes, the ol' "if A then A" circular logic.

At least you can admit when you're wrong