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Domaine Francois Raveneau

2011 Domaine Francois Raveneau, Chablis Premier Cru, Vaillons

France Chardonnay Burgundy Chablis Vaillons Premier Cru 750ML

Wine Advocate

92

Vinous

91

Burghound

91

CellarTracker

91
/
2011 Domaine Francois Raveneau, Chablis Premier Cru, Vaillons
Domaine Francois Raveneau

2011 Domaine Francois Raveneau, Chablis Premier Cru, Vaillons

France Chardonnay Burgundy Chablis Vaillons Premier Cru 750ML

Wine Advocate

92

Vinous

91

Burghound

91

CellarTracker

91
/

Vines average 33 years of age over the 0.4 hectares. Hand-harvested, fermented in used oak barrels and aged in feuillettes for about 1 year.

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A true legend of Burgundy, not just Chablis, Raveneau has made their name on whip-smart farming, hand-harvesting, but the house will cease at nothing to achieve perfection. The yields are microscopic as the vines are kept neatly trimmed to limit the number of clusters. In the cellar, all fermentation occurs in barrels and the wines are kept on the lees for a longer elevage. The old vines of Raveneau reward great patience, as with time these bottles only increase in greatness; follow the Aubert de Villaine rule of thumb here: drink within the first 5 years or don't touch them for another fifteen!

Domaine Francois Raveneau

In the mid-20th century, Francois Raveneau quietly assembled what became the backbone of the most legendary Chablis house we've ever known. What Francois realized and his children, Bernard and Jean-Marie have come to know is that the old vines should be preserved at all costs, as they are what sets this great domaine apart. Every winter, the vines are cut back greatly to reduce the amount of clusters per vine, so that the vines may concentrate all energy on fewer berries, thereby increasing the complexity further. Treatments are all natural in the vineyard, and the fruit hand-harvested to allow the finest grapes making it to the press without any damage.

In the winery, Bernard's daughter Isabelle oversees the winemaking; after pressing, the juice is allowerd to settle for 24 hours. From there, the fermentations will occur in barrel, where the resulting wine is allowed to remain on its lees and go through malo-lactic conversion. A year in feuillettes, barrels half the size of a barrique, will follow; these are not new at all (6-8 years' average age), as it is not to impart a wood flavor but a texture and allow better oxygen interchange.

All told, Raveneau is very much in the camp of DRC, Lafon, or any other producer whose reputation is bulletproof as a certified A-Lister beyond reproach. The only problem is that we can never get enough of these delicious wines that are splendid with food, and just as special to sit and ponder over.

Meet the Producer

Domaine Francois Raveneau

A true legend of Burgundy, not just Chablis, Raveneau has made their name on whip-smart farming, hand-harvesting, but the house will cease at nothing to achieve perfection. The yields are microscopic as the vines are kept neatly trimmed to limit the number of clusters. In the cellar, all fermentation occurs in barrels and the wines are kept on the lees for a longer elevage. The old vines of Raveneau reward great patience, as with time these bottles only increase in greatness; follow the Aubert de Villaine rule of thumb here: drink within the first 5 years or don't touch them for another fifteen!

In the mid-20th century, Francois Raveneau quietly assembled what became the backbone of the most legendary Chablis house we've ever known. What Francois realized and his children, Bernard and Jean-Marie have come to know is that the old vines should be preserved at all costs, as they are what sets this great domaine apart. Every winter, the vines are cut back greatly to reduce the amount of clusters per vine, so that the vines may concentrate all energy on fewer berries, thereby increasing the complexity further. Treatments are all natural in the vineyard, and the fruit hand-harvested to allow the finest grapes making it to the press without any damage.

In the winery, Bernard's daughter Isabelle oversees the winemaking; after pressing, the juice is allowerd to settle for 24 hours. From there, the fermentations will occur in barrel, where the resulting wine is allowed to remain on its lees and go through malo-lactic conversion. A year in feuillettes, barrels half the size of a barrique, will follow; these are not new at all (6-8 years' average age), as it is not to impart a wood flavor but a texture and allow better oxygen interchange.

All told, Raveneau is very much in the camp of DRC, Lafon, or any other producer whose reputation is bulletproof as a certified A-Lister beyond reproach. The only problem is that we can never get enough of these delicious wines that are splendid with food, and just as special to sit and ponder over.

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

92

The Raveneaus’ 2011 Chablis Vaillons offers an infectiously juicy, invigoratingly bright, and exhilaratingly buoyant performance centered on grapefruit and Meyer lemon, with suffusion of chalk and salt as well as pungent and piquant impingements of citrus rind and green herbs heightening the stimulating effect of its sustained finish. As it opens in the glass this reveals a subtle and alluringly floral dimension. Look for mid-palate textural richness as well as yet more-nuanced complexity to emerge over the next 8-10 years, though in fairness to the other Raveneau 2011 crus it must be pointed out that this wine from 20-year-old vines may simply be further along in its evolution – despite having been recently bottled – than its immediate stable mates. There is something disconcerting about stepping from their old cellar into the vaulted, spare stone and concrete expanse that now houses most of Bernard and Isabelle Raveneau’s barrels, but I have no doubt that the spaciousness of this new arrangement will have its subtle, positive influence on quality at what many would peg as the foremost estate in Chablis. And while I try to refrain from mentioning coopers by name (and in all but rare instances – with French tonneliers, anyway – succeed), I would simply point out that a comparison of the older and more recent barrels at this estate encourages me in the belief that changes taking place in that department, too, will only enhance quality. Bernard Raveneau describes 2012 as affording “lovely acidity and equilibrium,” and I do not doubt that its fruits at this address will uphold a reputation for improving in bottle and avoiding the premature oxidation that confounds wine lovers’ hopes for even some renowned and youthfully impressive Chablis. (Since it applies to all of my reviews of Raveneau’s 2012s, I suggest consulting my explanation in the introduction to this report of just how I utilize “+?” in rating wines before bottling.)

Vinous

Vinous

91

(this and the following 2011s were bottled in May, just a few weeks before my visit): Bright pale yellow. Reticent aromas of pear, mirabelle and white pepper. Rich, broad, sweet and very ripe, delivering round flavors of soft citrus fruits, crystallized lemon peel and yellow peach lifted by a floral note. Then dry and long on the finish, with a youthfully aggressive character that calls for a year or two of patience.

What the Critics are Saying

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

92

The Raveneaus’ 2011 Chablis Vaillons offers an infectiously juicy, invigoratingly bright, and exhilaratingly buoyant performance centered on grapefruit and Meyer lemon, with suffusion of chalk and salt as well as pungent and piquant impingements of citrus rind and green herbs heightening the stimulating effect of its sustained finish. As it opens in the glass this reveals a subtle and alluringly floral dimension. Look for mid-palate textural richness as well as yet more-nuanced complexity to emerge over the next 8-10 years, though in fairness to the other Raveneau 2011 crus it must be pointed out that this wine from 20-year-old vines may simply be further along in its evolution – despite having been recently bottled – than its immediate stable mates. There is something disconcerting about stepping from their old cellar into the vaulted, spare stone and concrete expanse that now houses most of Bernard and Isabelle Raveneau’s barrels, but I have no doubt that the spaciousness of this new arrangement will have its subtle, positive influence on quality at what many would peg as the foremost estate in Chablis. And while I try to refrain from mentioning coopers by name (and in all but rare instances – with French tonneliers, anyway – succeed), I would simply point out that a comparison of the older and more recent barrels at this estate encourages me in the belief that changes taking place in that department, too, will only enhance quality. Bernard Raveneau describes 2012 as affording “lovely acidity and equilibrium,” and I do not doubt that its fruits at this address will uphold a reputation for improving in bottle and avoiding the premature oxidation that confounds wine lovers’ hopes for even some renowned and youthfully impressive Chablis. (Since it applies to all of my reviews of Raveneau’s 2012s, I suggest consulting my explanation in the introduction to this report of just how I utilize “+?” in rating wines before bottling.)

Vinous

Vinous

91

(this and the following 2011s were bottled in May, just a few weeks before my visit): Bright pale yellow. Reticent aromas of pear, mirabelle and white pepper. Rich, broad, sweet and very ripe, delivering round flavors of soft citrus fruits, crystallized lemon peel and yellow peach lifted by a floral note. Then dry and long on the finish, with a youthfully aggressive character that calls for a year or two of patience.