Wine Advisor
Raveneau, Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 2021
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Raveneau's 2021 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux is already drinking beautifully after another six months on cork. Bursting with aromas of sweet citrus oil, oyster shells, oatmeal, beeswax and flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with a bright core of fruit that's open and expressive, concluding with a saline finish. This may not be built for extreme longevity, but it offers a great deal of pleasure in the near and medium-term future.
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.
