2014 Chablis Les Forets
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Tasting notes
From barrel and from bottle, the 2014 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest struck me as the best rendition of this bottling I had ever tasted, and it enjoyed a brief window of accessibility for six to eight months after it was released. Today, however, the wine has shut down hard, unfurling reluctantly in the glass with a reticent but immensely promising bouquet of salty oystershells, green apple, lemon oil and dried white flowers. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, elegantly textural and racy, with a deep but tight-knit core, tangy balancing acids and a long, searingly saline, mineral finish. To give close Dauvissat followers an idea of the wine's style and structure, this Forest combines the harmony and completeness of the 2002 vintage with some of the cut and salinity of the 2008 vintage—an undeniably winning combination. It should come into its own at age ten and drink well for the following two decades.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Pale, bright yellow. Underripe pineapple, white grapefruit, mint and crushed stone on the nose. Offers a compelling combination of texture and energy on the palate, showing incisive grapefruit and crushed rock flavors and finishing with near-grand cru depth and persistence. A superb Forest.
Bright, pale yellow. Lovely perfumed lift to the aromas and flavors of lemon zest, grapefruit and white flowers. Tactile and dense but very closed on the palate, combining a sexy sweetness for the year with powerful salinity and superb depth. Most impressive today on the energetic, slowly mounting, palate-staining finish, which leaves the retronasal passage quivering. Premier cru Chablis from the region's left bank does not get much better than this.