2007 Chablis Les Clos

Like this year’s La Forest, Dauvissat’s 2007 Chablis Les Clos seems palpably stony and chalky, yet boasts considerable gloss. It also displays a mollusk broth like dimension, here allied to sense of weight and sheer extract that none of the premier crus in this collection can claim. Hints of lanolin and vanilla make one aware of the barrel presence, and a toasted nut element helps lend a sense of richness as well as piquancy to what is otherwise a decidedly mineral-dominated as well as formidably long finish. It’s hard to imagine this (by Dauvissat’s own admission) massively dense wine ever achieving the elegance or mystery of the La Forest – let’s see in a few years – but as an expression of Kimmeridgian essence, it’s quite an achievement, and one sure to merit a dozen or more years’ attention. Incidentally, this clearly blessed vineyard parcel lies between one of the two owned by Fevre and La Moutonne. Vincent Dauvissat (whose father Renee’s name has been removed from that of the domaine, a fact I neglected to reflect in my Issue 179 coverage) harvested between September 11 and 21 a crop entirely in keeping with his estate’s awesome track record. But things were not looking good, he says, until the north wind arrived to banish incipient botrytis and permit felicitous, healthy concentration. Hail trimmed some of his crop of generic Chablis and Vaillons, but left the foliage unscathed, he reports, so that fruit maturation was not retarded. The premier crus came in at not much over 12% natural alcohol and were lightly chaptalized, more to extend their fermentations, insists Dauvissat, than to boost body. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802 (Under the “Dauvissat-Camus” label, certain of these wines are also imported by Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel. (781) 352-1100.)

Bright yellow. Subtly complex nose melds Asian pear, violet, lavender, ginger, iodine and powdered stone. Tactile and dense on entry, then creamy in the middle, conveying an impression of great volume without weight. This extremely backward, youthfully understated Clos firms up dramatically on the back end, finishing with palate-saturating citrus and talc flavors that refuse to fade. One of the longest Chablis bottlings I tasted for this issue, this truly transcends chardonnay.

Bright, pale yellow. Deep, brooding aromas of crushed stone, ginger, acacia flower and vanilla. Even more intense and powerful than the Preuses but less glyceral and voluminous; if anything, this is even slower to evolve. The impression of energy here is downright tactile. Wonderfully solid, penetrating wine with outstanding density and a very slowly mounting flavor of pure crushed rock. Still quite clenched, but I wouldn't call it inexpressive. This was the longest wine I tasted during my days in Chablis, with the palate-staining finish lasting well over two minutes.