2012 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru

This spectacular dinner at Hedone was a fitting conclusion to an incredible week in London, a city that continues to dazzle with its vibrant food and wine scene.

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."

Do you want the good news or the bad news? Raveneau's 2012s are stunning. That is the good news. The bad news is that yields are down a whopping 40%, which means these wines are going to be even harder to find than they already are. The Raveneaus suffered through a very difficult season where just about everything that could go wrong did, starting with spring frost and a poor flowering, both of which lowered production. Hail in July was followed by very hot weather in August that scorched some of the fruit and lowered yields even further. Readers who can find the 2012s should not hesitate. They are superb. The 2011s have mostly turned as good or better than I expected based on my tastings from barrel. Lastly, its great to see Isabelle Raveneau, Bernard's daughter, taking on a greater role at her family's domaine.

Yields were held down here in 2012 by "lots of coulure," noted Bernard Raveneau in early June. "It's a small crop of very pretty wines--classic wines with a good balance of richness and acidity, a bit like 2008 and 2005." Acidity levels after the malos are in the 3.9 to 4.2 grams-per-liter range, with better tartaric acidity than in the previous year. Grape sugars were in the healthy 12.5% to 13% range in 2012, and the Raveneaus did not chaptalize their wines. The fermentations went well and the wines finished quite dry, Raveneau added, noting that the 2011 fermentations were more difficult. As usual, this visit was one of the highlights of my Chablis tour.