2002 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru
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Tasting notes
As terrific as the Côte de Bouguerots is, this raises the bar in terms of elegance and this is one of the most elegant young Chablis that I have ever had the privilege of trying as the purity of expression here is almost beyond belief. Stunningly focused and detailed and this wine has it all with power, muscle, sap, style, complexity, typicity, concentration, depth and a palpable sense of minerality as the flavors seem as though they're cut from liquid stone. The finish left me dumbfounded as I didn't think it was possible for this to be longer than the Bouguerots. A great, great Les Clos that is worth a special search to find.
Critic scores
Allen Meadows, Burghound
Pierre Rovani
More reviews and scores
(bottled in December of 2003) Very pale, green-tinged color. Reticent, somewhat reduced, soil-driven aromas of crushed stone, petrol and lime blossom. Extremely primary today, but already hinting at great incipient complexity, with notes of talc, citrus skin, white flowers and white pepper. Dense and fat with sheer extract; a real mouthful of liquid minerals. Superconcentrated, seamless and penetrating. The Valmur is easier to taste today, but this should be an extraordinary wine with six or seven years of additional aging. It's entirely possible that most of the top 2002 crus here will close down in bottle over the next year or two.
Domaine William Fevre owns a 4.15 hectare (10.25 acres) parcel in the highest sector of Chablis’s most famed vineyard, Les Clos. The 2002 (domaine), like so many infant wines from this hallowed terroir, is aromatically austere, barely revealing notes of flint. On the palate, however, it is exceptional. This impressive effort displays huge depth and concentration, a broad, ample personality, and immense underlying power. Loads of slate and flint flavors are found in its satin-textured character as well as throughout its 45+ second finish. This big, bold wine will require 4-5 years of cellaring, drink it between 2009 and 2018. While Bernard Hervet, who oversees both Bouchard and William Fevre, prefers the 2000 vintage in Chablis “for its minerality and austerity,” your author believes 2002 is the finest set of wines to have been produced at this estate/negociant firm in many years. Importer: Clicquot, Inc., New York, NY; tel (212) 888-7575
Great mass. Great depths. Lots of acidity, but also lots of ripe green fruit flavours. More sinewy and structured than Les Preuses. (JR)
About the producer
Established in the late 1950s, William Fèvre was one of the leaders in Chablis’s renaissance. Today he crafts benchmark expressions of fine Chardonnay from some of the top vineyard sites in the region, working with many of the best Premier and Grand Cru vineyards.