2013 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru

The hotel boasts two restaurants, the two Michelin-starred La Pyramide and a bistro, L’Espace PH3. On the first night, attendees convened at the bistro in order to mine its eye-boggling wine lists, and the following day, the second part of the Chambertin tasting was accompanied by a specially prepared menu in the flagship restaurant.

The Raveneaus bottled their 2013s a bit earlier than usual, in early April of this year, "because the wines needed it," said Bernard Raveneau, who does not believe that 2013 will be a vintage for long aging. Although he noted that the estate's Butteaux, Montmain, Montée de Tonnerre and Valmur were harvested before the weekend of rain in early October, and that the Blanchots and Clos came in on the first morning of the rain, he did a longer-than-usual débourbage and also fined the must. I had the feeling that I like these wines more than Bernard does; they are certainly ripe enough, with potential alcohol levels ranging from 12.9% to 13.5%. Grape sugars were actually a tad lower in 2014, but the wines' aromatics are clearly more complex than those of the '13s.

It's always a pleasure to visit Raveneau, where the best wines are capable of a level pure visceral thrill equalled at only a few other estates around the world. Sadly, production is once again down sharply in 2013, much of that the result of a poor flowering and very challenging conditions throughout the summer. Bernard Raveneau adds that over the last three vintages he has lost the equivalent of a full crop, which is obviously distressing for both the estate and consumers who struggle to find a few bottles of these magnificent nectars to cellar each year. Raveneau's 2013s come across as delicate, fragile and best suited to near-term drinking. The harvest did not get started until October 3. Fermentations proceeded at a slow pace, and weren't finished until February 2014. The 2012s have recently been bottled and capture all of the magic I sensed when the wines were in barrel. As I noted last year, the growing season had more than its share of challenges, but a final period of heat concentrated the grapes and resulted in deep wines that are rich yet also possess healthy acidities. As I walked out the door, my eye caught the sign of a vigneron working the land that adorns the entrance. Some visits you want to never end. This is one of them.

The Raveneaus harvested from October 2 through 9, and Bernard Raveneau noted that there was a big difference between the pre- and post-rain fruit.All of the family's vineyards came in with potential alcohol of 13% or higher due in part to the low yields of the vintage (30 hectoliters per hectare on average), and no chaptalization was necessary.The 2012 fruit similarly came in at 13+%, but with healthier acidity than the newer vintage.The alcoholic fermentations were difficult in 2013, said Bernard, with some wines only finishing in March.He fined the musts with bentonite, especially the cuvees from fruit that came in after the weekend of precipitation.It will be a vintage for bottling a bit earlier than usual, Bernard noted, adding that the 2012s are more classic and taut--"in a totally different register:like the 2010s but richer."