2016 Domaine François Raveneau, Chablis “Butteaux” Premier Cru, White Burgundy, France.
Run by the brothers, François’ sons, Bernard and Jean-Marie Raveneau, Domaine François Raveneau, is one of the legendary Burgundy estates and arguably the top producer in Chablis, with an outstanding collection of vines, like this Premier Cru Butteaux. Yet, as their importer Kermit Lynch always says, they are humble and stay true to their father’s philosophy in both the vineyards, which is all organic and in the cellar, where a minimal intervention approach is maintained to produce crystalline mineral driven Chardonnays, like this intense flinty 2016 Butteaux. Set on classic clay and chalky limestone of the Kimmeridgian era, with vines that average over 45 years of age the Butteaux, is one of the quieter 1er Cru sites, compared to Vaillons, Montée de Tonnerre and Mont-Mains, but still capable of greatness and purity’s this 2016 version shows. The 2017s are softer and more evolved at this stage, while this 2016 is full of tension, grip and primary character still, quite impressively and I was thrilled with firm steely presence in the glass and its stony nature, it gives clear house style infused performance. The light pale greenish/gold hue is still youthful too, the nose is chalky and subtle with hints of white blossoms and clove spice, while the medium bodied palate possesses flinty lemon, tart peach, green apple, pear and quince fruits, along with racy acidity, ints of reductive hazelnut, matchstick, saline, wet rock, orange oil and more lip-smaking chalk. With air a sense of lees and wood come through, All in moderation and finely tuned balance, this is a wine that needs food. This bottle I sampled at a friend’s birthday party and was able to follow it for an hour or so, and it never toned down or let off the gas, it will need another few years in bottle to give its best, but I absolutely enjoyed it on the night regardless and it was great with ceviche, oysters and soft creamy farm cheese.
The Domaine François Raveneau, as mentioned before, founded in 1948, in the post war boom years, but it was under Francois’ sons, Bernard and Jean-Marie who brought international fame and fortune to this small estate, utilizing small prime plots of vines, including three Grand Cru vineyards (Blanchot, Les Clos, and Valmur) and six Premier Crus (Montée de Tonnerre, Les Vaillons, Butteaux, Chapelot, Mont-Mains, and Forêt). Now, the next generation is getting their feet wet here at Raveneau, though nothing is changing, as Bernard’s daughter, Isabelle, has joined in the running of the property, and it was her, who I saw briefly at Kermit’s awesome 50th Anniversary Portfolio Tasting a year ago last November. As you’d expect from a top producer, especially in Chablis, the winemaking is fairly strict, precise and traditional, the grapes are gently pressed with a pneumatic press and settled, then the juice is racked off its lees into cement cuves to ferment cool, lasting about two weeks. After which the wine goes through malolactic fermentation in barrel and aged for 18 months in mainly older oak wood and almost exclusively from barrel-maker Chassin, with only a tiny percentage of new oak employed in these stellar Premier Crus. I’ve been a long time admirer of Raveneau, and have been lucky enough to have tasted them with Kermit Lynch a few occasions and have poured a selection of them at tasting events in the past, these wines are unique and special, even for us long time professionals and industry veterans. Kermit Lynch reminds us always that, the wines of Domaine Raveneau are a rare find—exceptional because the vineyard holdings are almost entirely made of grand cru and premier cru fruit, painfully finite as so few are produced, outstanding because of their tremendous quality and consistency, which I have taken to heart, even if it is hard to see the current prices!
($439 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive