2003 Chablis Les Clos

(just 12.5% alcohol, as the grapes were "a big figgy and roasted but not hugely high in sugar," according to Dauvissat, who even in this vintage did not acidify; harvested on September 1; the yield was only about 35 hectoliters per hectare, although Dauvissat noted that "we were penalized more by April frost than by heat"): Bright yellow. Aromas of pineapple, rosemary and nutmeg, with some fresh veggie nuances. Large-scaled, plush and densely packed; a very concentrated, tactile, bone-dry wine with terrific breadth and seamless texture, but much more about powdered and wet-stone minerality than fruit in the mouth. Finishes saline and bone-dry. I would have guessed this wine was higher in alcohol but it's not at all tired, despite possessing barely three grams per liter of acidity. No one will ever describe this powerful wine as classic Clos and yet there's plenty of minerality here.

Pure, bracing aromas of citrus skin, pineapple, minerals, iodine, nutmeg and wet stone. Then dense, vibrant and precise, with penetrating flavors of lemon ices, spices, minerals, licorice, juniper and aromatic herbs. This very rich grand cru is technically very low in acidity, yet it seems full of life and finishes firm.

Subtly spicy aromas of candied grapefruit peel and crushed stone, with some oaky high tones. Extremely closed and almost painfully intense, with taut flavors of pineapple, grapefruit, powdered stone and minerals, complicated by notes of cinnamon, vanilla, lichee and exotic fruits. Extremely dry and classic, if a bit difficult to taste today: one can feel the wine's size and power but it's hard to envision its ultimate personality. This will probably not be bottled until February of 2005, notes Dauvissat.