2007 Chablis Butteaux 1er Cru

Marketing director Marc Cameron described the 2008 growing season as unique. "It was a long, cool season, dry at the end," he explained. "The acid levels stayed high and the north wind in September reduced yields. The alcoholic fermentations took a long time, probably because the juice was so cold at the start. This is unusual for Chablis and a good thing, since it gave the wines a more glyceral character." Cameron noted that potential alcohols were in the 12.5% to 13% range and that the wines were not chaptalized, adding that acidity levels after the malos were in the lofty 5 grams-per-liter range. The malos finished by the end of February but Francois Servin was still stirring the lees weekly at the time of my visit. Servin emphasized that he loves the "rich old style" of Chablis, but noted that because he presses more gently today, the wines have more precision and class while still retaining a lot of stuffing.

To give you an idea of how summer-like April of 2007 was, Chablis enjoyed 302 hours of sunshine that month, compared to a long-term average of 127, according to marketing director Marc Cameron. Of course, following the wall-to-wall sunshine of that month, the growing season rapidly deteriorated, and it was only a return to clement weather at the beginning of September that saved the crop. In the end, this estate produced a set of wines that Cameron compares to the 2004s in their limey acidity, but he believes the new vintage is more fruity. Incidentally, Francois Servin sold off his 2007 Forets and Blanchots, as bulk prices following the harvest were sky-high. (Weygandt-Metzler Importing, Unionville, PA) Other wines tasted: 2007 Petit Chablis (84).