View analysis



Description
Tasting notes

Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux has turned out beautifully, unwinding in the glass with notions of pear, orange oil, wheat toast, confit lemon and petrol. Medium to full-bodied, textural and satiny, it's racy and concentrated, with a deep, multidimensional profile and a long, saline finish. As in 2020, Butteaux's deep, clay-rich soils seem to have been favored by the warm, dry vintage.

Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2019 Chablis Les Butteaux 1er Cru has a supremely focused, mineral-driven bouquet; traces of white flowers, white truffle and fennel come through with time. The palate is poised and delineated, revealing veins of white chocolate and slithers of white peach. A little spiciness surfaces with aeration. This is a gorgeous Butteaux, always one of my favorites from Raveneau. It will age extremely well.

Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2019 Chablis Les Butteaux 1er Cru has more richness on the nose compared to Les Vaillons, hints of dried honey, orange pith and shaved almond emerging with time. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, very harmonious and more rounded than Les Vaillons. There is a nice touch of bitter lemon on the finish, although overall I just prefer the elegance of the Vaillons.
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.