Wine Advisor
Raveneau, Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2012 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux is still impressively youthful and tightly wound. Opening in the glass with notes of citrus zest, crisp green apple, white flowers, oyster shell and struck match, it's medium to full-bodied, concentrated and incisive, with a tangy spine of acidity and chalky grip that asserts itself on the finish. In fact, this is still five or six years from its drinking window to my taste, but it will give the 2010, 2014 and 2017 a run for their money at maturity.
About the Producer
Domaine Raveneau is Chablis's finest producer. Jean Raveneau has 7 hectares of vines and produces beautifully crafted wines from three Grands Crus (Blanchot, les Clos and Valmur and four Premiers Crus (Montée de Tonnerres, les Vaillons, Butteaux and Chapelot) All the grapes are hand harvested (one of the very few remaining growers in Chablis to do so) and Jean Marie prefers to pick early rather than late, with the aim of preserving the grapes' acidities. The grapes are fermented in stainless steel vats and the wine are then aged in large oak feuilletes (the barrels have an average age of 7-8 years) for 18 months. Very low yields allied to meticulous wine making techniques are what make these wines so highly prized. They are renowned for their pure, racy minerality and rich, honeyed fruit, as well as for their ageworthiness - it would be a pity not to let them have the five to ten years in the cellar that they need to reach their sublime best.
