2008 Chablis Les Preuses
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Tasting notes
Musky narcissus, white truffle, heliotrope, lanolin, and ripe citrus in the almost heady nose of the Dauvissat 2008 Chablis Preuses lead into a subtly waxy, bittersweet palate displaying less vivacity and buoyancy as well as slightly more oak than the corresponding Vaillons Vieilles Vignes, but really impressive richness and length. I can’t say that I detect much of the distinctive minerality I associate with its site, though. It should be interesting to revisit this soon, and I imagine it will be worth following for at least the better part of a decade. Sebastien Dauvissat was characteristically not planning on bottling any of his crus before mid-summer. But among the most striking features of this domaine is the tendency for wines to be released only after a year or more in bottle. Readers will note that I am more generous in my prognostications of age-worthiness for the wines of this estate than for most others. This reflects not just the nature but also the frequency of my tastings of back vintages in the cellars of this avowed fan of mature Chablis. Imported by Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Captivating aromas of pineapple, marzipan, spices and minerals, with a touch of smoky oak that complements rather than overwhelms the wine. Suave and complex, with an impression of sucrosite leavened by firm minerality. Seems a bit less powerful than the 2009 version, but this boasts intriguing minerality and finishes with a gripping citric aftertaste.
(all in fut Pale yellow. Ineffable aromas of lemon oil, pineapple, lichee, marzipan and spicy oak. A step up in intensity from the old-vines Vaillons, combining a silky, fine-grained texture, enticing pineapple and grapefruit flavors, and excellent cut and lift. Finishes very long and palate-staining, with a distinctly firm-edged minerality that should become more pronounced with seven or eight years of bottle aging. "This is normally hard to pair with food," notes Dauvissat, who told me he typically uses it as an aperitif. There's much more stuffing here to buffer the oak than in the Vaillons vieilles vignes