2009 Petit Chablis

As at some of the other top Chablis addresses I visit each year, this estate continues to refine its wines by adjusting its use of oak in various cuvees, both in response to the requirements of each new vintage and simply as a stylistic decision. As a result, these wines can be something of a moving target, although as a general rule I find much less evidence of the exotic, and sometimes a bit resiny, oak notes that occasionally plagued these wines as recently as six or seven years ago. Today's wines are cleaner than ever before but with no loss of their power or personality. Francois Servin told me that he uses a commercial yeast that produces a leisurely and relatively cool (20o to 22o C) fermentation, which gives the wines a more glyceral texture.