2009 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru

Bernard Raveneau provides unusual perspective with regards to the 2010s. While most of his colleagues talk about a vintage with high acidity, Raveneau points out that the 2010s are actually low in acidity relative to the wines Chablis produced in the 1970s and 1980s. Yields in 2010 were 20% lower than in 2009. The vineyards on the right bank were affected by the irregular flowering, while the vineyards on the left bank were hit by hail in July. August was warm until the end of the month, when rain became a bit of an issue. Raveneau began harvesting the 2010s on September 22, while the 2009s were brought in beginning on September 14. The 2009s were bottled two weeks before my visit. These are two thrilling collections from one of the village's uncontested superstars.

Bernard Raveneau, a candid judge of vintages, described 2010 as between 2008 and 2007 in style. "Our 2008s are much richer, with acidity levels similar to 2010," he explained. "The earlier vintage brought slow maturity under cool conditions, without rot." Grape sugars in 2010 were in the 12% to 12.5% range, and the wines were chaptalized about a half degree. No bottled wines will be over 13%, promised Raveneau. The 2009s here are less dense and structured than 2008 or 2010, said Raveneau. They had just been bottled prior to my visit, and Raveneau was reluctant to show them. It's entirely possible that they are better than my scores suggest. Incidentally, Raveneau pointed out that a number of the 2010s finished with close to two grams per liter of residual sugar (a bit higher than the 2009s), as the sugar fermentations were trickier to finish in '10. This was also true for a number of white wine producers on the Cote d''Or.

Bernard Raveneau noted that 2009 brought the second earliest harvest to date here (the family began picking on September 14), following 2003. He describes the 2009s as "very tender and easy-to-drink wines, in a style similar to the 2006s. It's not a grand millesime de garde," he went on. "The wines will probably drink well in seven or eight years." Two thousand eight here is more serious, "a cousin of 2005," but 2007 "is the true Chablis classic-a vintage that can be drunk for 30 years." As the Raveneau wines have established a long track record for slow development in bottle and are very rarely cited by collectors for premature oxidation, it's reasonable to conclude that the later bottling practiced at this estate has been an important factor behind the longevity of these wines. Incidentally, Raveneau opened bottles of the 2002 Montee de Tonnerre and Valmur for me after our tasting of the new wines; both were extremely pale in color. The Valmur actually began a bit reduced and would benefit from 30 to 60 minutes in a decanter if you wanted to open it anytime soon.