2003 Chablis Les Clos
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Tasting notes
The 2003 Chablis Grand Cru Clos is still full of life, wafting from the glass with aromas of yellow orchard fruit, crème brûlée, confit lemon and warm oatmeal. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and textural, with a lavishly glossy attack and a deep, concentrated core that's amply endowed with chewy extract, concluding with a strikingly long finish. Given its gourmand, sun-kissed profile, this is certainly an atypical Les Clos, yet the slow pace of its evolution and its incredible intensity belie any facile generalizations about warm vintages. I suspect that as it matures, the terroir will become more and more prominent. Anyone wishing to speculate as to what a great 1947 Chablis might have tasted like in its youth should contemplate a bottle of Raveneau's 2003 Clos.
Critic scores
Average Score
Allen Meadows, Burghound
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
An almost invisible touch of wood spice frames gorgeously complex and notably ripe aromas of peach, lime and seaweed that precede big, rich, sweet and remarkably intense and concentrated flavors that offer reasonably good detail in the context of the vintage. Just as it did from cask, this isn't showing the same marvelous degree of minerality that it usually does but there is no question that this is really fine Chablis in a riper and overtly opulent style, especially on the superbly long backend. For my taste, this has arrived at full maturity though there is absolutely no rush to drink up as it should be capable of holding for years to come. Multiple, and consistent, notes.
(the Raveneaus produced a fairly normal crop level here of nearly 45 hectoliters per hectare) Pale yellow. Superripe aromas of white peach, spearmint and powdered stone. Fat, sweet, lush and full; a step up in volume from the premier crus. Thick and silky but lively, with a dominant flavor of wet stone.
Pale yellow. Superripe aromas of white peach, spearmint and powdered stone. Fat, sweet, lush and full; a step up in volume from the premier crus. Thick and silky but lively, with a dominant flavor of wet stone. (ST) 92+