2009 Chablis Valmur

The 2009 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur is a brilliant wine that's still a mere adolescent as it approaches its tenth birthday, unfurling in the glass with notes of waxy lemon rind, lime zest, wheat toast and iodine, framed by light reduction. On the palate, it's full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, with immense density and controlled power, displaying a deep, tight-knit core and concluding with a long, mineral and beautifully defined finish. This is a fabulous rendition of Raveneau Valmur with its terroir front and center despite the warmth of the vintage.

(with thanks to Alex Goldstein and opened from personal storage). This remains a very young wine with its expressive nose of fresh, cool and restrained green fruit, sea breeze and wet stone aromas that don't display the mild over ripeness of many 2009 Chablis. There is fine detail to the mineral-inflected flavours that culminate in an impeccably well-balanced and gorgeously persistent finish that possesses a lovely sense of harmony. There is a real sense of energy and this is still very much on the way up. I have added one year to my estimated drinking window and this should be one of the best wines of the 2009 vintage. Drink: 2017+

The 2009 Chablis Valmur is quite closed. There is plenty of power in the glass, but not much else. Today the Valmur isn’t showing much. It is the only 2009 that appears to be showing the ill effects of its recent bottling. This will be an interesting bottle to re-visit in another 6-12 months. Bernard Raveneau provides unusual perspective with regards to the 2010s. While most of his colleagues talk about a vintage with high acidity, Raveneau points out that the 2010s are actually low in acidity relative to the wines Chablis produced in the 1970s and 1980s. Yields in 2010 were 20% lower than in 2009. The vineyards on the right bank were affected by the irregular flowering, while the vineyards on the left bank were hit by hail in July. August was warm until the end of the month, when rain became a bit of an issue. Raveneau began harvesting the 2010s on September 22, while the 2009s were brought in beginning on September 14. The 2009s were bottled two weeks before my visit. These are two thrilling collections from one of the village’s uncontested superstars.