One producer whose husband comes from Alsace points to a similarity to 2006 – the Alsace vintage of 2006 – which was late and rife with botrytis. The vast majority of producers have no reference points for the 2013 vintage some will scratch their heads and say ‘2001, but not’ – the likes of Vincent Dauvissat and Bernard Raveneau suggest 1964 or even 1947 – something not really helpful to 99.999% of buyers (I suspect) but it’s indicative of how rare such a vintage is. The producers of Chablis have a word for fuller, richer, perhaps less ‘Chablis’ wines – and that word is Meursaulté – there is a lot of Meursaulté to be found in 2013. I should also note that without the ‘sweet mouth-watering acidity’ the minerality can sometimes seem a little austere – particularly where the fruit is a little less rich. Some wines are clearly showing hints of apricot and botrytis, but fortunately not too many, so the result is fine and tasty young wine, even with minerality, but blind, not instantly recognisable as Chablis. On average the acidity is not at all bad in terms of balance – at some addresses I would even say perfectly balancing – BUT as good as the acidity can be, and from over 300 wines tasted with their makers, I can’t think of even half a dozen with the classic, sweet, mouth-watering acidity that I prize. You will find this combination nowhere else.Ģ013 is almost as concentrated as the brilliant (for my taste) 2012s and as rich a vintage as almost any I can recall. What do I mean?Ĭlassic Chablis has cool, penetrating fruit with an undertow of minerality, the glue in this sandwich is a mouth-watering sweet acidity. They are delicious chardonnay, sometimes with a little oak support and always with ripeness of sweet fruit – but this is a more ‘varietal’ vintage than a ‘terroir’ vintage – so-far at least. ‘But you said the wines were delicious!’ Yes. The vintage is very largely delicious and across the full range of 4 levels too: Petit Chablis, Chablis, 1er Cru and Grand Cru.
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