Wine Advisor
Raveneau, Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
My favorite premier cru in the range this year is the 2018 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux, a lovely wine that wafts from the glass with aromas of citrus oil, green apple, pear, oyster shell and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, taut and structured, with fine concentration and chalky extract, it concludes with a mouthwateringly saline finish.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2018 Chablis Butteaux 1er Cru is airy and weightless in feel. A wine that speaks in hushed tones, the Butteaux is marked by soaring aromatics, vertical lift and a decidedly ethereal personality. Crushed rocks, lime, white pepper and chalk give the Butteaux its striking upper register that is very nicely complemented by saline underpinnings that frame the finish.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Chablis Butteaux 1er Cru has a more oaky nose than its peers, though it is well-defined and simpatico with the fruit. The palate is well balanced with orange rind and touches of marmalade, a little Chassagne-like in style, maybe more Côte d'Or than Chablis? Still, I like the tangy spiciness on the aftertaste. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Chablis Les Butteaux 1er Cru has plenty of energy on the nose, offering scents of crushed stone and chalk, hints of fresh green apples and a touch of spice. The palate is well balanced with a superb, clean line of acidity and wonderful tension. Isabelle Raveneau remarked how well this vineyard copes with warm growing seasons due to its exposure, and you can see that in this excellent wine. Recommended.
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.
