2005 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru

Bernard Raveneau describes the family's 2006s as "very rich and supple, more like Burgundies to our south." The wines started out a bit like the 2003s, he told me, "but with more freshness and minerality, and a less exotic character." The fermentations were long, and most of the wines finished with about two grams per liter of residual sugar. This will no doubt give them more early personality and appeal than the 2005s here-a crop of wines that Raveneau describes as "more structured and solid, and possibly a vintage with great aging potential." Raveneau compares his 2005s to 2002, but believes they're even richer than the earlier set of wines. Still, he admitted, as he gets older he increasingly prefers wines with a bit more fruit and less obvious structure because they're less tiring to drink. Bernard and brother Jean-Marie buy less than 10% new oak each year.

The Raveneaus had just started the 2006 harvest on the day I stopped by to taste 2005s and 2004s (September 14). I had a stunning tasting here, as the 2004s have turned out very well and the richer 2005s are among the finest examples of their vintage. Bernard Raveneau believes the 2004s will be superb in about five years, but does not think that this vintage possesses the matiere of either 2005 or 2002 here. Raveneau told me the quality of fruit in 2005 was exceptional, and that the estate had very little rot to worry about. He described the first two '05s as aromatic but not particularly complex vins de plaisir, but the rest, he said, are even richer than the 2002s while retaining similar minerality.