2002 Domaine Raveneau Chablis Valmur Grand Cru

As it was the first time I ever tasted it, the nose of the '02 Valmur offers dazzling aromatic purity together with steely, intense, focused and detailed green fruit that is cool, reserved and at this point in its development, now almost completely mature. The medium-bodied flavors are equally pure and seem to be extracted directly from liquid rock as the minerality this displays is remarkable, which confers a highly attractive tactile sensation, all wrapped in a finish with superb buffering extract and staggering length. As I originally observed, with the exception of the 2008 version, this is as good a young Raveneau Valmur as I have ever had and while it has reached its majority, it should be capable of holding at this level for years to come. In a word, sensational. Multiple notes.

Classic, steely aromas of wet stone, gunflint and humid earth; a very pure expression of this grand cru site. Big and broad on the palate, with mouthstaining concentration, but much more backward than the Blanchots, and not yet showing that wine's sweetness or opulence of texture. Today, the strong acids have the upper hand. But finishes with explosive length and superb elegance. A great wine in the making. Makes a strong argument for Valmur as the next-best Chablis grand cru following Les Clos.

Raveneau’s 2002 Chablis Valmur is magnificent. Loads of earth tones, apples, flint, and white peaches are found in its boisterous aromatics. My notes read “an essence of perfectly ripened Chablis grape skins”. Seashells, minerals, flint, copious spices, pears, and apples are intertwined in its complex core of fruit. This full-bodied wine wows the taster with its concentration, depth, awesomely supple texture, as well as by its huge length. Projected maturity: 2008-2020. “2002 was the kind of vintage we’d love to see every year, it has excellent balance and loads of flesh,” said Bernard Raveneau. Harvest for the Raveneaus began the last week of September, and the grapes were “healthy, with between 4 and 4.5 grams of acidity (per liter), and ripe, there was no need to chaptalize.” The estate’s wines will be bottled in April and May, 2004. I have never tasted a line-up of Chablis with the sensual textures and stunning terroir-driven flavor profiles exhibited by Domaine Raveneau’s 2002s. These are magnificent wines that I would do almost anything to own, age, and drink... Bravo!