Wine Advisor
Raveneau, Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Chablis Butteaux 1er Cru is terrific. I must say I am pleasantly surprised after encountering a far less impressive bottle of Montée de Tonnerre recently. Aromatic and finely delineated, the Butteaux is all charm. Citrus, orchard fruit, mint and dried herbs are all woven together in a Chablis endowed with lovely balance and a feeling of understated depth that is quite appealing. I wouldn’t wait forever on this, however.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Chablis Butteaux 1er Cru is much more closed and broody than its sibling Premier Crus at the moment: earthy, almost mulch-like aromas developing in the glass. The palate is well balanced and quite saline on the entry, hints of blackcurrant developing in the glass with disarming poise and grace towards the finish. Give this Butteaux a couple of years in bottle at least because the aromatics will require time.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(from 40- and 55-year-old vines): Bright, light yellow. A bit more subdued on the nose than the Montée de Tonnerre, offering scents of citrus fruits, white peach, menthol and resiny herbs. More minerally and classic on the palate, conveying a dry, tight impression to its almost minty lemon and mineral flavors. Less pliant than the Montée de Tonnerre but I like its light touch--and there's no shortage of density here.
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.
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