Product Profile
Domaine Francois Raveneau, Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 2005
Light-Medium Bodied, Dry, White, Chardonnay, Drink now or cellar, 13% alc.
Tasting Notes
“Bernard Raveneau explained that 2005 "is a near perfect vintage on paper. Each phase of the growing season was exactly as it should be…”
Tasting note: This is a mild step up in overall class and elegance with a gorgeously perfumed white flower fruit nose introducing linear, precise, intense and powerful medium full flavors that remain splendidly focused on the stunningly long finish that drenches the palate in dry extract. This is a striking 1er and one to buy as it easily delivers grand cru quality.
(Outstanding - 94 Points - Drink 2012+ Allen Meadows - Burghound)
Producer
Domaine Francois Raveneau
Domaine Raveneau is Chablis's finest producer. Jean Raveneau has 7 hectares of vines and produces beautifully crafted wines from three Grands Crus (Blanchot, les Clos and Valmur and four Premiers Crus (Montée de Tonnerres, les Vaillons, Butteaux and Chapelot) All the grapes are hand harvested (one of the very few remaining growers in Chablis to do so) and Jean Marie prefers to pick early rather than late, with the aim of preserving the grapes' acidities.
The grapes are fermented in stainless steel vats and the wines are then aged in large oak feuilletes (the barrels have an average age of 7-8 years) for 18 months. Very low yields allied to meticulous wine making techniques are what make these wines so highly prized. They are renowned for their pure, racy minerality and rich, honeyed fruit, as well as for their age worthiness - it would be a pity not to let them have the five to ten years in the cellar that they need to reach their sublime best.